


Good Morning, Sunshine

by 56baeks



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Baby Dialogue/Talk, Best Friends, Best Friends to Lovers, ChanBaek - Freeform, Cliche, Domestic Fluff, Drama, Established Relationship, Family, Flashbacks, Fluff, Implied Smut, Introspection, M/M, Mentions of accidents, Mild Angst, Minor Character Death, Mpreg, Non-Linear Narrative, Post Mpreg, Romance, bedtime story, best friends to strangers to lovers, childhood best friends, mentions of bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:13:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 57,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27794389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/56baeks/pseuds/56baeks
Summary: It's their 7th year wedding anniversary and Baekhyun totally forgot. Thankfully, Chanyeol got it all covered and planned the perfect anniversary surprise. However, they didn't see it coming when two adorable hyperactive munchkins get in the way of a lavish anniversary weekend getaway.A trip down memory lane wasn't exactly the trip they were expecting, but it was okay because they were with the ones that truly mattered, as Chanyeol and Baekhyun relived how they started—all night long.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 47
Kudos: 196
Collections: #𝓑𝓪𝓫𝔂𝕄𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕱𝖊𝖘𝖙𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎, Best Of CB's Fic, My's Marked Read Cb's





	1. Good Afternoon

**Author's Note:**

>   
> **Code:** BMF332/2020  
>  **Pairing:** Baekhyun/Chanyeol  
>  **Carrier:** Baekhyun  
>  **Pregnancy:** Any of the two (Pre/during or Post pregnancy)  
>  **Babies:** Any of the two (Only one or More than one)  
>  **Prompt:**  
>  A bedtime story for their child. However, it takes them into a lane of memories where they met for the first time. And Baekhyun cannot help but to thank his matchmaker, for helping him in writing a new chapter of his life, which he hopes until his last breath. [Based on I love you 3000 by Stephanie Poetri]  
>   
>  **[Author's Note]**  
>  Before anything else, I just want to dedicate this space to thank the ever-wonderful and patient mods! Thank you so much for putting up with me for all three times that I've asked for an extension >< You've been very kind to me, I'm so sorry for my annoying ass. 
> 
> To my non-exo-l friend slash mom J who has been a great support to me and one who I pestered the most for my questions about child-rearing and motherhood, thank you so so much. I wouldn't have completed this without you. I love you.
> 
> To the readers, thank you for giving this fic a chance! This is my first ever fic fest and the first full-length fic I've ever produced so I'm quite nervous about how this will turn out. I can only hope you as you read along you'll see all the love I've put into this. I hope you enjoy reading this as much I did writing it! Lastly, as I'm not a native english speaker, I apologize beforehand for grammatical errors you might find along the way. 
> 
> To the prompter, I'm not sure if this is what you have in mind, I kind of deviated a little but I still hope you enjoy this. Thank you for the lovely prompt that inspired all of this <3
> 
> Have fun y'all <3
> 
> The title is inspired by Chanyeol's IG story caption when Baekhyun's OST was released: "good morning ☀️ @baekhyunee_exo" :>

"Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect."

Baekhyun feels something is off.

For one, it's not the incessant cryings from the baby monitor perched atop the bedside table that wakes him up. He has gotten used to loud, piercing double wails coming from the device at this time of the day that he’s rather surprised everything is...eerily silent. 

Two, a dark heavy shadow looms over his body instead of the usual bright rays of sunshine filtering through the tiny cracks between his curtains that he likes to have opened just a little to give that nice and warm feel of the early morning sun grazing his skin. 

And to top the list, something, or rather _someone_ , is biting on his right cheek, teeth lightly sinking down the round flesh before licking and nibbling the bitten part. Baekhyun groans and hears low chuckles from his side. 

It’s too early yet and he would rather catch some more sleep than open his eyes and check what his husband is currently doing to him. The warmth coming from his side is inviting though, and as someone who likes being kept warm and coddled, Baekhyun naturally gravitates towards the source of the heat, shifting to his side and worms his way over—Chanyeol meeting him halfway and pulls him by the waist before tucking his head under his chin.

Baekhyun wraps his arm around his husband’s torso and tangles their legs together in an effort to stay much much closer, warmer, tighter, they almost seem like one person occupying the middle of their king-size bed and with so much space around them. 

The room is silent save from the low hum of the AC, the pillows under their heads feel soft, the duvet freshly changed and smells of fabric conditioner, and the lithe fingers now carding through his hair all feel too comforting, homey, and safe. Baekhyun lets out a happy hum. 

He is getting cozy by the minute and is almost lulled back to sleep when he feels his husband lean down and start peppering kisses across his face, lips meeting every inch of skin available to him in a loud wet smack. 

Chanyeol makes sure to cover the entirety of his face, staying a bit longer in areas where his moles are. A smooch on the mole sitting prettily on top of his lip, the one beside his nose, below his chin, on his right temple—tracing and connecting them like constellations on the sky that is Baekhyun’s pretty face. 

Baekhyun finds it endearing the most when Chanyeol showers his face with kisses, he can’t help the fond smile forming on his lips and the appreciative hums he lets out. His rosy cheeks plump up from the action and the taller is back to biting and nibbling and licking them like a feast.

“I can’t get enough of you,” Chanyeol mumbles against one chubby cheek, massaging the flesh with his lips. 

Baekhyun tightens his hold around Chanyeol’s body and runs his hands over the hard plains of his toned and muscled back, drowsily murmuring, “Why are you up so early...” 

Chanyeol absolutely takes pleasure in mornings like these, a brief borrowed time when they can be alone together, just the two of them, ensconced in each other’s loving embrace and away from the adulting and parental responsibilities awaiting them outside the comfort of their bedroom. 

It’s been a little hard to squeeze in some alone time for themselves ever since their little family grew, bringing in two lovely children: Park Sejoo and Park Sera, their two and a half-year-old fraternal twins, into the mix. Their priorities changed and naturally, responsibilities grew with it. 

Child-rearing required constant attention, love, care, and time—lots and lots of it. And the husbands knew what they were getting themselves into right off the bat. It’s tiring and time-consuming, but it’s part of the whole package. 

In the end, it was all still worth it for Baekhyun and Chanyeol. The happiness their twin babies brought to their lives is immeasurable and couldn’t compare to anything else, they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Looking after the needs of their twins on top of working and keeping the house spick and span only meant less time for each other. On most days, the husbands are too tired to do anything else other than cuddle each other to sleep. Which is why they take advantage of little moments like these before— 

A high-pitched wail coming from the baby monitor disrupts their peaceful bubble, much to Chanyeol's chagrin.

“Noooo.”

“Time’s up, Daddy.” Baekhyun chuckles, patting his husband’s back to get off of him.

It doesn’t take long before another wail is heard, one twin most probably working up the other. Now there are twin cries fighting for dominance that Baekhyun is all too familiar with. 

"Nooo, five more minutes," Chanyeol whines against his neck as he locks and pins Baekhyun between his body and the bed, arms circling the smaller to prevent him from going anywhere. "Let them cry. They need that."

"But Chanyeol..."

Chanyeol knows his husband is too weak for the twin's cries. Always has been. He can't handle them crying and it physically hurts him to see or hear them wail. There were times that Baekhyun broke down and cried with them too, times when he can't figure out what's causing their discomfort and just kept on crying and crying.

But it's what they're learning to overcome now, especially for Baekhyun. It just gets a little hard sometimes, the cries go straight to his heart, melting and crushing Baekhyun's resolve to pieces. He could never resist his twin babies. 

And as much as Chanyeol would love to cuddle and spend more time with his husband, he knows it's a hopeless fight, a game where he would never win. He sighs and sags in defeat. 

"Alright, but you just stay here. I'll check on them." 

"Are you sure?" Baekhyun asks around a yawn, blinking drowsily.

"Yeah, I got this," Chanyeol untangles himself from his husband and gets up from the bed. He pulls the duvet up to Baekhyun's chest before checking the baby monitor. The twins are up and shaking the crib slats furiously, like little prisoners asking to be let out. "Try to catch some more sleep. You went to bed a little late last night. Sorry for waking you up so early.”

"It's okay." Baekhyun pulls his shirt to catch his attention. “I love you.”

"I love you, too." Chanyeol plants a kiss on his forehead before leaving the room to check on the twins. 

About a minute later, everything is silent again and Baekhyun watches his husband's figure appearing on the baby monitor screen, looking down the crib, cooing and clapping, mumbling sweet nothings to the twins. Chanyeol's presence surely calmed them down. 

Baekhyun closes his eyes to the image of his husband cradling the twins on his chest, rocking them back and forth, a smile on his face and his heart, full. 

For the first time in a long while, Baekhyun wakes up feeling well-rested, like he had just slept for an entire year. He stretches his limbs and pats the space next to him out of habit, finding cold sheets instead of a warm body. 

_Right_. 

The sun is already high-up, casting orange and yellow hues on the floor from where the curtains are slightly parted. He glances at the clock on the bedside table and confirms that it is indeed, a little past noon and that he had slept in a little more than he intended to.

He gets up quickly, remembering it's already past lunchtime and he still has to cook for his husband and the twins. He hastily makes the bed before heading out of the room and onto the next room just across the hall, with its door always left open for easy access—or for the parents to easily navigate their way in the dark when the babies decide to throw temper tantrums during ungodly hours of the day. 

The nursery room is devoid of any human being but it looks like a hurricane just passed by in here; stuffed animals, children's books, toy blocks, all scattered across the room and that poor wooden rocking pony is upturned. 

Everything is a mess. How can two tiny humans make such a big mess, Baekhyun would never understand. But it's a mess that doesn’t surprise him anymore, moving without a hitch as he picks up the littered stuffed toys and drops them all into the playpen beside the twin crib. 

He tidies the rest of the items on the floor, placing everything back where it's supposed to be, and fixes the rocking horse’s position before leaving the nursery to go downstairs. 

Baekhyun is greeted with the back view of a shirtless Chanyeol, fussing over the kitchen counter as he enters the dining area. He's seemingly chopping something by the way his shoulder muscles contract and his arm rises and falls with every movement. 

Baekhyun makes a beeline to his husband and gently hugs him from the back, careful not to jostle the taller so much for he's a little jumpy at times and it's quite dangerous now that he's holding a deadly weapon in his hand. 

"Why are you naked? You might catch a cold." 

He rests the side of his head on Chanyeol's shoulders as he palms his abdomen and pectorals and anywhere his hands can find purchase. He relishes in the warmth brought by the naked tanned skin before him, so warm and inviting. Now he's the one being all touchy and clingy in broad daylight.

"I bathed the kids just now and you know how they are during bath times."

Oh, _he knows_. Baekhyun can't help the twitch of a fond smile. Surprisingly, the twins love water, especially playing with water that they get so excited when Baekhyun announces it's bath time. It's like their favorite part of their everyday routine. Baekhyun—or Chanyeol, sometimes both—end up getting wet and soaked all over by the amount of splashing and jumping in the tub the babies make every time. Apparently, the twins register their bath time as another excuse for playtime. 

"Did they make a big mess?" 

Meanwhile, from the living room, he hears the opening soundtrack of We Bare Bears playing on the TV followed by incoherent gurgling noises and excited squeals. 

"Those kids pulled me into the tub, can you believe that? I swear, they’re a lot stronger than they should be at this age." 

Baekhyun chuckles, following his husband in tiny steps as he moves around the kitchen, still clinging to him like a giant koala bear. Chanyeol retrieves some vegetables and a carton of eggs from the fridge. 

"So I just took a bath with them and let them play with rubber duckies while I bathe them."

So that explains his still-wet hair, Baekhyun observes. Chanyeol washes the bell peppers he pulled out from the fridge before slicing them up to thin strips. 

"I only have spare pants in the bathroom cabinet so I just wore that after. I didn't have much time left to cook before you wake up and I figured, you'll wake up starving since you skipped breakfast. I was thinking of bringing you a late brunch in bed, but you're here now so…"

Baekhyun immediately warms at the thought of brunch in bed, _should he have slept in a little longer?_ He tightens his hold around the taller's waist and nuzzles his nose against the hollow dip between his shoulder blades. 

"You slept well?" Chanyeol turns his head to the side to look at his petite husband but the latter just burrows his face even further. 

Seven years together and you'd think Baekhyun has gotten used to Chanyeol's thoughtful, caring nature. But truth be told, it still manages to tug at his heartstrings, leaves him blushing, heart pounding, and squirming like a highschool teenager all over again. 

Chanyeol nudges his face with his back and it's only a while after that he gives a small nod and soft hum. "What are you making me?" 

"I'm making your favorites."

Baekhyun perks up at that, moving under Chanyeol's arm, and slots his head under his armpit to peek at what Chanyeol's preparing. "Favorites?" 

"Yeah, I'm making you hamburger steak and kimchi pasta. Although, the pasta's still boiling and I'm still seasoning this," Chanyeol proudly says as he cracks an egg into the ground pork and garlic mixture, "This might take a while. Why don't you join the kids first? I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

Chanyeol dips down and lands a soft kiss on top of his head. He releases Baekhyun under his hold as the latter straightens up. 

"Have they eaten yet?" 

"Yes, I fed them after bathing and now they're snacking on banana slices. They’re in their highchairs in the living room because they're distracting me here."

Baekhyun laughs at that, knowing full well what his husband meant. He looks to his back where he has a clear view of the living room from the kitchen and sees the twins too engrossed on the TV screen, banana slices left hanging in each of their mouths. It's their favorite cartoon show playing after all. 

He remembers how his babies sometimes watch him cook too, perched in their highchairs from the dining table, babbling and exchanging words only the two of them understand. But more often than not, he catches familiar words like, _‘Dada’_ and _‘Up! Up!’_ then Sera will make grabby hands, motioning for her father to carry her to the stove to peek at what he's cooking. She's always too curious about her surroundings even if she still doesn't understand that much at all. Sejoo follows soon after, mimicking his sister and will whine to be held too. 

While it’s endearing to have his kids by his side while doing chores, it surely isn’t efficient because he’ll just give in to their pleading eyes and pouty lips. Baekhyun ends up taking double the time it usually takes to cook whatever he's cooking at that moment. Adorable, but totally inefficient. 

"I'll go and get you a shirt."

Baekhyun leaves a small peck on his husband’s naked shoulder before exiting the room to attend to their twins.

“Dada!” 

Sejoo, the younger of the twins, squeals in excitement the moment he sees Baekhyun step foot in the living room. 

He carefully makes his way around the stuffed animals scattered above the foamed floor, mindful of accidentally stepping on one. The twins get upset when their stuffed animal gets kicked or stepped on—either by accident or intentionally—like they’re treating them like another human being. _His babies are so pure_. 

“How are my sweet little munchkins doing today?” 

Baekhyun places their bowls of banana slices, still with a few left, on the nearest table before grabbing some wet wipes. He wipes their mouths and tiny chubby fingers clean, starting from Sejoo. 

Sejoo babbles incoherently, eyes gleaming with so much excitement upon seeing his father’s face. Baekhyun hums, nods, and plays along. 

“Yes, Dada missed you too. I didn’t see you this morning.” He plants a kiss on top of his head before moving on to Sera whose eyes are still trained on the TV screen in front of them. 

A white polar bear from the show is chopping some kind of wood in the forest with a sharp ax and Sera cutely mimics the action, banging her little palms against the highchair’s table in time with every swish of the ax. Baekhyun catches one palm and wipes it clean before she further dirty the table with chewed banana goo and spit. 

“You like Ice Bear so much, Sera-ya?” 

“Yes Dada,” she nods enthusiastically, eyes disappearing into tiny crescents very much like Baekhyun does when he’s happy. The twin girl takes after Baekhyun the most while Sejoo, after his other father. Especially when his baby boy eats, his eyes go wide and big every bite, reminiscent of his husband’s natural habits. They’re literally Baekhyun and Chanyeol in baby form. 

“I’m gonna go upstairs to fetch Daddy a shirt, anyone who wants to tag along?”

Sejoo immediately raises both of his hands, opening and closing his fists furiously while Sera just ignores him and continues watching the three bears on the screen. 

“Alright then.” Baekhyun grabs his son under the armpits and settles him against his chest, short arms wrap around his neck soon after. 

“You just stay here, okay? We’ll be right back,” he says before kissing the top of his daughter’s head tenderly.

They walk past the kitchen on their way to the stairs and Sejoo notices his other father and points to him, "Daddy."

"Yes, that's Daddy. Daddy is cooking Dada some food," Baekhyun explains as they carefully trudge up the stairs, "but he's naked right now so we'll get him something to wear, okay?" 

Sejoo tries the new found word in his tongue but it comes out as a garbled, "Nay-kay?" 

Baekhyun chuckles, _his son is too cute._ "Yes, naked. Daddy is naked. " 

They enter the master bedroom and go straight inside their walk-in closet. Baekhyun grabs the nearest shirt he sees, a plain black band tee hanging from the rack, and goes out of the room in a hurry only to stop dead in his tracks. "Holy f—" he almost shouts but abruptly stops, realizing he still has Sejoo in his arms so he quickly recovers, " _—fork_. I said fork." 

The poor boy jumped in fright at the loud sound, and Baekhyun is immediate in cradling his head to his neck, soothing the frightened boy.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry, Sejoo-ya. Dada is sorry he scared you." 

He rubs his son's back in soothing circles, bouncing him up and down, as he stares lifelessly at the wall calendar before him, displaying today's date in big bold bright numbers. 

**0 6 . 1 4 . 2 0 2 0**

He feels like his soul just left and abandoned his body for good. How the hell did he forget about this special day? 

It's their wedding anniversary today. 

And Baekhyun totally forgot. 

He's so screwed. 

Baekhyun has not yet greeted Chanyeol nor has he prepared anything special for him today. 

In retrospect, he still has—Baekhyun looks warily at the clock on their bedside table—11 more hours until this day ends. He still has less than a day to come up with something, _anything_ , for their wedding anniversary and make it as though he thought and planned for this for a long time. 

Maybe he is not yet that screwed. 

He is pacing around the room, with Sejoo still in his arms when he remembers that Sera is still waiting downstairs. He goes to the nursery room to put his baby boy down the crib and grabs his giant stuffed Perry the Platypus from the playpen and hands it to him. Sejoo loved the vibrant blue-green color of the character so much. 

"Dada will be right back, okay?"

Baekhyun hears a soft 'bye-bye" as he walks out of the room to go get his daughter. 

He quietly pads down the stairs, walking on tiptoes and ducking down when he walks past the kitchen area, wary of making any sound that might alert Chanyeol of his presence. He does not know why he's being like this right now, why he feels the need to do this, but he sure as hell feels so guilty for forgetting their anniversary and having nothing prepared yet.

When Baekhyun reaches his daughter, he signs for her to keep quiet and to cover her mouth with her palm. Sera follows obediently and lets her Dada carry her away, both palms holding her own mouth. She must be thinking her father is playing with her right now. Baekhyun leaves the TV running and goes back upstairs, still as stealthily as he had come before. 

Chanyeol is stirring something in the pot now, still shirtless but he doesn't seem to mind the cold of the air or the heat of the stove. Sera is quietly giggling under her palms, finding it very amusing and silly when her Dada starts crouching down the floor before briskly walking on their way to the stairs. 

When they reach the nursery room, Baekhyun shifts his daughter on one arm and hip before grabbing Sejoo by the waist with his other arm, lifts, and settles him on his other hip, grunting at the additional weight. His babies are growing up so fast and getting heavier each day. 

The three of them transfer to the master's bedroom across the hall. Baekhyun settles the twins on the bed, laying them in a sitting position against the plush pillows before locking the door to his and Chanyeol's bedroom. 

"Okay," the smaller male starts, "you guys have to help me." 

He paces back and forth at the foot of the bed while the twins just stare at him confusedly, heads tilted and moving to every direction he takes. 

"What should Dada do for Daddy today? I'm taking any suggestions. You start Rara. Any inputs baby girl?" 

Baekhyun is on the verge of completely panicking, his mind refuses to cooperate and he'll take anything, _absolutely anything_ of help even from his two-year-olds who can barely talk straight and who probably only have 200 words on their growing vocabulary at the moment.

"Poopoo." Sera accentuates her answer by jutting her lips forward and makes kissy sounds. 

"Okay, I can do that," Baekhyun says mindlessly, and in a whisper to himself, "But probably much later, when you guys are asleep. And since it's been a while, maybe he'll like some extra loving…"

Baekhyun clears his throat, he shouldn't be imagining things like this in front of his innocent children and in broad daylight for god's sakes, _even if they're conceived the same way._ Baekhyun stops his train of thoughts the minute he starts thinking of wearing his skimpy nightgown for this evening. Baekhyun clears his throat once again. 

"Okay, baby girl. Thank you for your very helpful suggestion. You're so smart," Baekhyun coos and goes around the side of the bed to give her a pouty kiss on the cheek. 

Sera brings her little palms together, clapping like she had done a very great job. Sejoo copies her clapping, giggling adorably. Baekhyun hops on the bed and sits in front of them.

"How about you, Sejoo-ya? What should Dada do for Daddy?" Baekhyun asks, almost in a pleading voice because he is desperate and he surely can't think of anything at the moment. 

Sejoo stands up on the bed, toddles to his father, and throws himself at him. The smaller male catches his son by the waist as the little boy tries to loop his short chubby arms around his torso and lays his head on his chest. 

"I should give him a hug, huh?" 

Baekhyun beckons his daughter forward to join their embrace. Honestly, at this moment, their children are the most wonderful gift they could ever give to each other and nothing will ever top this precious gift, Baekhyun thinks as he cradles the back of their heads, running his fingers between their silky locks. 

Maybe he should just confess to his husband. Tell him the truth that he had unknowingly forgotten their anniversary and it was an honest mistake. He has been preoccupied with a lot of things lately; finishing his commissioned artworks, an upcoming solo art exhibit that he's been stressing over for almost half a year already, and going over and planning with his business partner Minseok for an art cafe they will soon be opening. All of these on top of managing their household and looking after their children whom he's with, 24 hours a day, seven days a week since he's the one mostly at home. It’s a perfectly valid reason, right?

Yeah, maybe he should just tell all that to Chanyeol after he's done cooking his late brunch and—

A dinner date! 

Baekhyun just had his eureka moment, _how could he not think of this sooner?_ A dinner date would be perfect! He could put together a surprise romantic candlelight dinner for both of them. It’s simple yet it’s something he knows Chanyeol would appreciate and love. Kind of like their first date, Baekhyun giggles at the memory.

But considering the amount of time he has left, he still has to choose their dinner menu, go grocery shopping for ingredients, and then cook. These alone are going to take a lot of his time. He can't exactly leave the children and go out of the house without Chanyeol knowing. He wants it to be a surprise. 

Just then, his phone by his side lights up and displays a Cheshire-grin photo of Kim Jongdae, his restaurateur friend that he met in Art School, and owner of the famous 5-star restaurant, _Amaranth_. He picks up the phone and accepts the call in no time. 

_"I'm calling to confirm—"_

"Jongdae, you have to help me!"

_"What? What happened?"_

Baekhyun looks down at his children who are in return, looking up at him with downturned lips and glassy eyes. They could probably sense the agitation in his voice and it's making them anxious.

"I'm fine, you guys," he whispers in a soft soothing voice, kissing the crown of their heads. He sets the call on speaker and carries the children back to their room. 

_"Baekhyun, what's happening? Are you okay?"_

He sets them down in the playpen to play and wander around. That does the trick almost immediately, the sight of their stuffed animals lined neatly around the playpen is enough to distract them. 

Baekhyun goes back to his call and sets the phone off-speaker.

"No Dae, everything is fine. But I need you to do me a favor."

_"Are you sure? And what favor…"_

"Can you maybe…squeeze in one more customer for tonight?” Baekhyun bites his nails. “I need to book a private room for Chanyeol and me."

_"What? But he—"_

"Please Dae, _please_. I need this to be done. I kind of forgot…our anniversary…is today," Baekhyun trails off, feeling very horrible of himself and the guiltiness he’s feeling compounding now that he has said that out loud. 

_He's a bad husband_ , Baekhyun internally cries. 

_"Ooh, that's bad Baek..."_ And apparently, Jongdae echoes the same sentiments.

"I know," Baekhyun closes his eyes in shame, "and I also know about your policy about last-minute reservations considering how big and busy Amaranth has gotten into. Maybe you could check once again? See if we can get in?" 

_"I'm surprised you aren't pulling the ‘you owe me that one time…’ card just yet,"_ Jongdae laughs from the other line. 

"I might as well be. I really need this Dae."

_"Okay, hold on. Let me see what I can do."_

"I could kiss you right now."

 _"Oh hush."_ Baekhyun hears clicking and typing from the other end. " _Okay, here. Someone just canceled a private room an hour ago. It's on the roof deck with an amazing view of the night skyline. Thank your lucky ass_."

"That's perfect! Oh Dae, thank you so so much!” Baekhyun makes kissy noises and the twins immediately look up from the playpen to join their father in making kissy sounds. 

He giggles and throws air kisses to his twins. “Now I need you to do the following…"

Baekhyun isn’t really good at impromptu planning and isn’t a fan of haste decisions either, but so far, everything is aligning surprisingly well. Nothing could go wrong at this point, right? 

Maybe Baekhyun really has a lucky ass. 

"And if he was really asleep, she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

"While she rocked him, she sang: I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be," Baekhyun singsongs the last lines as he cards his fingers through Sera's hair, her head perched on top of his chest. 

The twins are lying on each of his sides on the bed, Sera on his left and Sejoo on the right, while he reads them a storybook for naptime. 

After a considerable amount of time of planning with Jongdae on the phone, mostly on Baekhyun’s part, he made a quick trip to their walk-in closet to check if they have something fancy to wear for tonight’s surprise dinner date, and then went down to wolf down the very hearty meal that Chanyeol prepared for him—Baekhyun shared his kimchi pasta with the twins on small servings—then the kids played a little more with their parents before it's high time for their afternoon nap. 

Chanyeol offered to wash the dishes while he prepped the kids for their naps. The twins picked the book which he would read to them as they made themselves comfortable on their parent's bed, with Baekhyun lying in the middle. 

He shifts the book on his other hand before flipping to the next page. He brings his now free hand on top of Sejoo's head, running his fingers through the silky locks like he did for Sera. 

"The little boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was nine years old. And he never wanted to come in for dinner, he never wanted to take a bath, and when grandma visited he always said bad words. Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo!

"But at night time, when he was asleep—" 

It's been a little quiet for some time now; no more tiny voices that repeat his words every now and then, no little interruptions in the form of curious questions, so Baekhyun takes a quick peek at his twins and sees them finally asleep, mouths slightly agape, softly breathing and clutching his shirt with their tiny fists. 

He closes the book gently and puts it on top of the bedside table. He unclutches their tiny fingers one by one, slowly so as not to jostle them awake before he carefully lays each of their heads on the mattress. He gets off the bed and places bolster pillows around it to lock them in. 

Baekhyun stares at his babies' sleeping forms, his heart swelling with so much happiness and contentment. He watches the slow rise and fall of the twins' chests with every breath they take, Sera is starting to shift on her side while the back of Sejoo's eyelids is twitching slightly. He wonders what could his baby boy be dreaming of right now. He can only hope it's a pleasant one. 

Yes, they may be quite a handful at times, tiring Baekhyun out of his wits, but watching them sleep soundly and peacefully, like the little angels that they are, all cozy and cuddly does wonders to his depleting energy. He's instantly recharged, like a shot of coffee every morning to kickstart his day. They are his pride and joy, his strength and weakness both; he could not possibly ask for more. 

Baekhyun pulls the covers up their bellies as he whisper-sings, _"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living, my babies you'll be._ "

He is so deep in his warm little cocoon that he fails to register the sound of the door slowly opening followed by soft footfalls against the plush carpet. Long muscular arms snake around his waist and he flinches in surprise and almost screams. Thankfully, he's quick on his feet; he covers his mouth immediately to minimize making noise because the twins are already deep in slumber. 

Chanyeol lightly chuckles as Baekhyun slaps his arm around his waist. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry," Chanyeol offers as he twists him to his front so that they're face-to-face. 

The smaller can hear the amusement laced in his voice and knows he doesn't really mean that half-hearted apology. His husband always sneaks up on him from behind, whenever, wherever, he can. 

Chanyeol, who thankfully is now fully-clothed, pecks the pout away and pulls him closer. Baekhyun has to crane his head a little upward, their height difference sending him face-to-face with his husband's chin all the damn time when they're standing in front of each other because he's so freakishly tall. And no, he's not small, even if Chanyeol says otherwise. 

The taller brings his head down to meet his forehead until they're flushed together, in a slightly awkward position that brings Baekhyun to a disadvantage because he'll probably feel the neck pain later. He hooks his arms around his husband's neck for leverage. 

They stay like that for a couple more minutes, Baekhyun's eyes are closed while Chanyeol is rubbing their noses together, in a sideways motion, then up and down, slowly and reveling in the brush of their skins. It's their moment right now. 

Baekhyun's nose crinkles adorably as he starts to giggle. He's going to tell him. He's dropping the surprise now. 

"I have a surprise for you."

"Oh?" 

"Yeah," Baekhyun slightly pulls back, enough to create a small space between them to look the taller in the eye. "Tonight…"

Baekhyun emphasizes each pause with a quick peck on his husband’s lips, tiptoeing each time so he can reach his mouth.

"You and I…" 

Peck. 

"Are going to dinner…"

Peck—

"At Amaranth's?" Chanyeol finishes for him.

"How did you know?” Baekhyun asks as he chuckles nervously, a tiny bit scared. How did Chanyeol know? He can't possibly know. He asked Jongdae to keep it a secret! 

But instead of an answer, Chanyeol just cups the back of his neck and brings him forward to continue where he left off.

"Because…" the taller says as he lands a quick peck on his lips, "I booked…" 

Peck. 

"The same…" 

Peck. 

"Reservation…" 

And one last wet smooch that lingered in his lips and popped in his ears, making Baekhyun fall back a little from the slight force. _Peck_.

"...weeks ago."

Chanyeol delivers the final blow with his signature toothy-grin, all smiles, eyes wrinkling in the corners like he just caught Baekhyun in a bald-faced lie. 

"Wha—But Jongdae said—" 

"—said you forgot that it's our anniversary today?"

_No. This can't be._

“How did you—When—” Baekhyun flails and splutters in protest, only to be pulled yet again in Chanyeol's embrace, his face connecting with the taller's instantly as the latter didn't waste any more time in recapturing his lips, this time in a proper kiss. Baekhyun is still too shocked on his own, frozen and wide-eyed, to respond and move on his own. 

But it doesn't take long until he becomes pliant in Chanyeol's arms, eyes closing in their own accord, knees getting weak, and just giving in to this sweet tangible pleasure. He's too distracted by a pair of warm lips coaxing his own to open and surrender, an eager tongue awaiting access to explore and roam around Baekhyun's mouth, to even comprehend what's happening and how they came to this. All he knows though is that he likes this and clearly enjoys the moment, the hot lips, the wet tongue, and the roaming hands on his rear. 

Chanyeol is persistent and Baekhyun eventually gives in. He kisses him like there's no tomorrow, open-mouth and very wet, lapping and nipping on each other’s bottom lips when they can before going in all the way. 

Whatever's left of Baekhyun's reasoning and sanity is trampled on further when the hands previously on his bottom are now traveling up the sides of his body, through his arms and shoulders, then his neck, until it lands on his sweet cheeks. Chanyeol starts caressing them, cupping each cheek delicately. 

Baekhyun is a goner. It's a known weakness—holding him in place while continuously being kissed tenderly like this and he grips Chanyeol’s arms for support because he's sure his knees are about to give in—and he wants nothing more than to make-out with his husband all day long, just kissing and sucking faces and kissing some more, they got the whole day to themselves after all and he's starting to get really hot and bothered and it's their anniversary too so maybe—

Baekhyun thanks his one-brain cell that managed to survive Chanyeol’s ministrations for reminding him that he still has some explaining to do before all this goes down into dangerous territories—and the twins are just right behind them for crying out loud—so he pulls back in a rush, dazed and so confused (and thoroughly kissed if Chanyeol might add). He brings a hand to cover Chanyeol's lips when he tries to dive in for more. 

It takes a while to compose himself, breathing heavily through his mouth and nose, panting, trying to catch his breath while staring his husband in the eyes.

"I'm sorry I forgot," he starts, schooling his face in what he deems is contrite enough, lips downturned in the corners with the lower slightly jutting out, shiny eyes imploring. He needs to say this now before Chanyeol starts acting like a deprived man again. "I was busy finishing my commissions, going over the final touches for my art exhibit next month, the twins, and the cafe too that… it slipped my mind and—" 

Baekhyun feels his palm starting to get wet so he retracts it immediately and wipes it down Chanyeol’s shirt. He chides him in a strained quiet voice, "Did you just lick my hand? Chanyeol!"

"You won't let me speak," Chanyeol reasons, pulling Baekhyun out of the room by the wrist because they're starting to make a lot of noise and the babies are very grumpy when awakened prematurely from a nap. 

"Calm down, will you? I didn’t ask for explanations. I completely understand."

“You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad?” 

“Because…” Baekhyun ducks his head down, trying to avoid his eyes. “It’s our special day and it only comes once a year and I know it’s important to you and to me too, and I—I feel very guilty.”

Baekhyun fidgets and toes the wood flooring with his slippers, eyes still cast downwards. It’s relatively quiet out in the hall and Chanyeol’s silence is doing nothing but to add more fuel to his raging worries. Now he’s really about to panic. 

“You’re being quiet. Say something please...”

“Look at me first.”

Baekhyun hesitates for a moment, afraid he might see the hurt in Chanyeol’s eyes, but he eventually does and is quite shocked and bewildered to see that his husband is… grinning. Like a mad man, with mirth in his eyes, back slightly hunched forward as if he’s just restraining himself from completely laughing. 

“What is so amusing?”

“You.” Chanyeol pulls him closer to his chest until he can rest his chin on top of his head. “You’re very cute just now, did you know? You're like a kicked puppy.”

It isn’t the time for this now. He’s trying to be all serious and apologetic here. Baekhyun lightly hits him in the chest before giving in to the urge to cuddle his mean husband, laying his head down his shoulder and snuggles closer to his neck. “I hate you.”

“You love me.” 

“No, I hate you so much.” He buries his face further on the warm crook between his neck and shoulder, wounds his arms around his husband’s waist, tightly squeezing the bony and muscled figure. “You’re insufferable. I’m trying to apologize here.”

“You say that but look at you right now,” Chanyeol teases but doesn’t make any move to break the embrace nor push Baekhyun off of him, only encourages the smaller though by smoothening his hair and patting his head affectionately. 

“There’s no need for an apology. You’re busy as it is, I know that. I don’t care if you forgot that it’s our anniversary today—okay, maybe I care a little, but they are just dates, Baekhyun-ah. What's important to me is I get to share and make all these memories with you. And only you.” 

Chanyeol reinforces the statement with a tender kiss on his temple. “I got a whole-ass speech I’m saving up for later but if you need me to reassure you some more that it's perfectly fine whether you remember or not, then I’d gladly do it now. So stop feeling bad, hmm?”

Baekhyun wants to cry. _Why is Chanyeol like this… so understanding and so kind_ , like he holds all the perfect words on this planet to make Baekhyun all gooey and speechless in a matter of seconds, all the worries and guilt he's been feeling dissipated just like that, like they were never there in the first place. He really married this fluff ball of long limbs with a giant heart, huh? 

Although, there’s still a part of him that badly wants to make it up to his husband, to make him feel that he really wanted to celebrate this day too as strongly as he does. 

Chanyeol waits until he feels Baekhyun hum and nod in acquiesce, the vibration against his neck sending shivers against the affected skin. 

"Besides, it’s not like you did it on purpose, right? I did you worse than this, you remember?"

Another nod and a hum of recollection from Baekhyun as he lightly pinches the taller from the side. “How could I not? You did me dirty, Yeol. I still don’t forgive you for that.”

Chayeol laughs boisterously, snippets of old playgrounds, matching friendship bracelets, powdered doughnuts, early morning breakfasts, and cable cars flashes before his eyes. They really have come a long way. 

“I’m joking. That’s all in the past. You're mine now,” Baekhyun mumbles drowsily, "you’re so comfy I could just sleep here.” 

Chanyeol hums in approval, appreciating the way Baekhyun is so pliant against him, tightly clinging like he doesn’t want the taller to let go and just keep patting his head like a kitty cat. If they stay like this, he might start purring.

“Maybe you should take a nap, too,” Chanyeol traps his cheek between his lips, nibbling the flesh as he maneuvers them back to the room without breaking the embrace and onto the couch so he can lay Baekhyun down for a much-needed power nap. He fixes the pillows behind his head and tucks him under the throw blanket. 

“You’re not gonna lie with me?” 

Chanyeol smiles at the pouty voice and pleading eyes. He crouches down so he’s at eye level with the smaller man. 

"I have to run some errands, love. I'll be quick, I promise." Chanyeol grabs his hand and kisses his knuckles. "I'll be back before you know it."

"What errands? And why didn't you tell me?" 

"If I tell you, it'll ruin the surprise."

Oh. It's about that. What surprise? Now Baekhyun is genuinely curious. And not to mention, pretty much excited about the prospect of going out with his husband again. 

"Give me something to look forward to, at least," Baekhyun shyly asks. Chanyeol sits beside the slumped figure of his husband.

"We'll still have the dinner date that you planned, don't worry. Jongdae called when I was cleaning the dishes a while ago to inform me of some changes to the dinner arrangement I originally booked,” he gives Baekhyun a pointed look, a teasing glint in his eyes, “But he didn't elaborate any further. So that'll be a surprise for me too."

Baekhyun giggles. At least he gets to keep that a secret. 

"And then…" Chanyeol pauses for some kind of dramatic effect whilst rubbing the pad of his thumb against the back of Baekhyun's hand which he's still holding gingerly, "I want us to go to this place."

"Where?"

"That, you'll find out soon."

"Oh wait the kids!" He was so focused on the dinner planning and all that anniversary fuss that he actually forgot to take into consideration his children. "Who's gonna look after them while we're out?" 

“Don’t worry. I got that settled already. I called Ten last week."

"Ten? Your nephew Ten?" 

"Yup, he agreed immediately. Said he misses his baby cousins so much anyway and would be glad to drop by. I asked him to babysit for us for two days."

"Two days?" Baekhyun perks up at that. 

"Yeah, we won't be back until tomorrow evening, at the least. I know you don’t want to be apart from the kids for too long, so I thought two days would be enough?" 

Two days is more than enough. That's 48 uninterrupted hours, no crying, no changing of diapers, no splashing of water and getting soaked all over, no baby monitors—

Baekhyun is brimming with excitement, the sweet electrifying anticipation for what's to come is bubbling in his veins. Chanyeol can tell just by the way his eyes are shining and it's now Baekhyun who's gripping his fingers tightly, not enough to bruise, while the other is fisting the throw blanket covering him.

He needs this. They both need this much-deserved break. Has it been this long? Have they been so deprived of quality alone time for themselves this long? 

Baekhyun tries to rack his brain for answers, of the last time they both went out on a date as a couple or just a simple dinner together alone but his mind seems to not cooperate right now, decides it's not the time for reminiscing and digging up past memories for all he can think about now is Chanyeol, Chanyeol's anniversary surprise, and how gloriously lucky he is to be the receiving end of all these, of Chanyeol himself, of his gift, his love and everything else in between. 

"I have to get going now." The taller stands up, bringing his right hand to caress the side of his face. "I'll see you later?" 

Baekhyun nods, brings his hand above Chanyeol’s own, and leans into the touch. "You take care, okay? I don't think I'll be able to nap now. I'm too excited."

Chanyeol chuckles as he pats Baekhyun's cheek one last time, kisses his forehead, and mumbles a soft _'I love you'_ against the pecked skin before going on his merry way. 

Seven years. 

Chanyeol and Baekhyun have been together for seven years. It is quite a feat to be able to last together this long, especially in an age where a simple argument could easily turn into a divorce in a blink of an eye. 

And Chanyeol would have Baekhyun to thank for that. Married life isn't easy and they certainly have their fair share of ups and downs too, like any other committed couples go through, but if it would come down to who has managed to pull this marriage together for all those seven years, Chanyeol would have answered Baekhyun in a heartbeat, no further elaborations required.

This is exactly why Chanyeol didn't take any offense at his adorable husband forgetting about their anniversary date. Baekhyun has done a lot more for their marriage to work that gave him a free pass for this honest mistake. 

They have come so far in their relationship and have surpassed many hurdles along the way. He's beyond grateful for the second chance more than anything else and to have his childhood sweetheart be the other half to that missing piece of him and fill that void he's been searching for a long long time. 

So on their seventh year together, Chanyeol is determined to make this day about Baekhyun and Baekhyun only. Pamper him, indulge him, make love to him. And celebrate all the great memories they have created together for the past seven years and the years before that, the little family they dreamed and made, and to the far future that awaits them still. 

Because honestly, he couldn't exactly foresee a future without Baekhyun in it. Baekhyun is his past, his present, and his future. A life without Baekhyun is simply a life not worth living.

Chanyeol has planned his anniversary surprise for months and now that it's finally coming to fruition, he can't wait to bring him to the fanciest restaurant in town and feed him good food, take him to the dock to board a luxurious yacht, and go cruising, make love to him as they sail, relieve their wild adventurous days as he fuck him against every possible corner of the yacht, the cold breeze nipping at their naked skin, the salty smell of the sea wafting in the air, and with the lulling sound of the waves hitting the starboard their background music. 

And when Baekhyun is totally pampered and well-loved, he'll bring him then to their hometown across the sea, and to the playground where they used to meet when they were little kids for the final surprise, the shining highlight of this anniversary weekend. 

Chanyeol simply cannot wait. He mentally checks once again, his list of things to be done for this anniversary weekend to be perfect. 

Dinner date in a fancy 5-star restaurant? Reserved.

Overnight room accommodation at the fanciest hotel in town? Booked.

A luxurious yacht waiting by the dock? Rented and paid.

A small custom glittering _gift_ sitting prettily on his pants pocket? Paid and picked up just now.

"A bouquet of one hundred pink roses for Mr. Park?"

Chanyeol gets pulled from his reverie by the voice of the lady florist standing behind the counter of the floral boutique. 

"Ah, yes that's me."

Chanyeol's last stop on his 'errands' for the day is to pick up the bouquet of pink roses that he ordered for his husband, also part of the big surprise. 

He walks into the counter to pay and collect his bouquet wrapped in an elegant white lace sheet with a second layer of translucent yellow wrapping paper on the outside and bound all together by a beautiful bow of pink ribbon in the middle. 

The beautiful bouquet is very fitting to its recipient and Chanyeol wouldn't want anything less. His husband deserves all the beautiful things this world can offer. 

Chanyeol exits the floral boutique with a big goofy grin etched on his face, the image of a surprised and tearful Baekhyun and a hundred different ways his reaction could go playing in his mind over and over again.

Everything is all set.

The sun has already set when Chanyeol comes back home. He expects to see Baekhyun all dolled up for him, sharply dressed in a freshly pressed designer suit and a pair of polished dress shoes, waiting by the door and ready to go. 

Maybe with a splash of makeup too; eyes lined in black kohl and eyeshadow in warm brown and rustic shades with a hint of shimmer, concentrated mostly around the corner of his cat eyes to give off that smoky smoldering gaze that Baekhyun knows would totally knock Chanyeol off his feet. 

Not to mention a pair of glossy peachy nude lips to complete the look, all enticing and begging to be kissed senseless. Baekhyun just transforms into this sexy, ethereal god of unmatched beauty that even Aphrodite is put to shame.

His husband is already beautiful in his most basic form—that is, bare-faced and in skimpy shorts and oversized tees he mostly steals from the taller's closet, holding his palette and a brush and paint streaks on his cheek—but his beauty and overall aura heightens tenfold when he dresses up for special occasions. Today is just one of those occasions and Chanyeol is very much looking forward to it. 

Instead, what he gets are high-pitched squeals and happy giggles and the sound of splashing water and squeaking toys he can only assume are rubber duckies, coming all the way from the first-floor bathroom and echoing across the entire house as soon as he opens the door to their lovely home. 

Chanyeol leaves the bouquet he's carrying on the dining table together with his wallet and car keys and traces his way to the origin of the jovial sounds, finding the three adorably wet culprits inside their huge rectangular bathtub. Seems like bath time is a little bit earlier than usual. 

Baekhyun is soaked to his chest and below, submerged partially in the water as he tries to rinse the suds on Sejoo's hair who is restless on his lap, obviously distracted by floating rubber duckies and soap bubbles, popping everything he can reach. Baekhyun massages his scalp gently with one hand while he holds the showerhead on the other, raining water droplets down the little boy's back. 

On the other side of the tub, Sera is swimming around aimlessly, clad in nothing but a kiddie pink doughnut inflatable floater, screaming on top of her lungs, chubby arms flailing as her tiny feet kick and paddle against the water vigorously, splashing water on her trail and wetting Baekhyun more. 

Rubber duckies are everywhere; floating in the tub around the twins, swimming on the floor flooded with water and remnants of soap bubbles, on the sink, on the counter and there's even one atop the closed toilet lid. Chanyeol picks a small one that got washed away on the edge near the bathroom door. 

He smiles at the view before him, remembering how he was in the exact same state just this afternoon. Chanyeol leans his body against the edge of the doorway and squeezes the rubber duck to catch his family's attention and make his presence known. 

"Got a room for one more?" 

"Daddy!!" 

The three collectively look up and the twins immediately call for their father to join them inside the tub, jumping and kicking around the water excitedly. 

"Oh no, we're done here. Bath time's over. We've already made a lot of mess," Baekhyun gently chides, looking pointedly at his twins before beckoning Chanyeol over. "Honey, can you take Sera out of the tub and dry her, please? She's done bathing." 

"Nooo, Lala miming," Sera whines in her cute baby voice as she paddles to the far corner of the tub out of her parents' reach, collecting all the rubber duckies she passes by in her tiny arms. The two fathers laugh at her antics.

"Why don't I take over here since you guys are already done anyway while you"—Chanyeol folds the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows while perusing his husband's soaked state—"should take a bath upstairs, get ready and dressed because we're leaving in an hour."

"Where we go Dada?" Sejoo eagerly asks, looking back and forth at the two grown-ups with big round orbs so much akin to Chanyeol's own. 

Baekhyun's face falls in an instant, guilt—at having to leave them behind—and longingness—he's not out of the door yet but he's already missing the twins—clawing at his heart, breaking it into tiny million pieces. Chanyeol can tell judging by the sad droopy eyes he directs at the little boy who just posed the million-dollar question. 

Break the news gently lest they'd be dealing with temper tantrums to kickstart their anniversary celebration. 

"Uhm uh…" Baekhyun starts, eyeing his husband. Chanyeol just nods and motions for him to continue, there’s no easy way to say this anyway. "Daddy and Dada are going on a trip but it's for adults only so Sejoo can't come."

"Aduls?" 

Baekhyun can see the telltale signs of an outburst fast approaching, the same big eyes looking at him expectantly are starting to pool with unshed tears. He brings the pouting boy closer to his chest, running smooth circles down his naked back.

"Yes baby, adults. Adults as big and tall as Daddy and Dada. Sejoo is still a baby so we can't take you with us."

The little girl who observes the whole exchange quietly from the corner pipes up, "Lala too?" 

Sera is much calmer compared to his twin brother but there's no denying the tremble and slight waver in her voice that easily went straight to Baekhyun's heart. This is always the hard part. Parting and dealing with their separation anxiety but it has to be done properly so it won't stress them more. 

This time it is Chanyeol who answers, going around the tub to the corner where their daughter is leaning on before sitting on the rim beside her.

"Rara can't come too. Because Sejoo and Sera are still babies and babies are not allowed where Dada and Daddy are going. The guard will not let you in. But you know who's going to be here with you while we are gone?"

Sera shakes her head coyly.

"Your Ten hyung! You guys love hyung, right? He's going to stay with Rara and Joojoo for two days. You could play all day if you want. Ten hyung said he'd bring toys with him to play with you, he told me over the phone. That sounds fun, right? You missed your hyung?"

The twins simultaneously nod their affirmation.

"Dada and I will be back before you know it. We'll bring home lots of toys too. You want that, right? And we promise next time, we'll all go there together. Dada, Sejoo, Sera, and me, how does that sound?" 

"Pingi pwomise?" Sera looks up imploringly, holding her little pinky up her Daddy's face. Chanyeol coos at her adorable pronunciation, the twins still having a hard time with their R's and K’s. 

Chanyeol brings out his own pinky and loops it around Sera's outstretched one, easily engulfing the little finger, before stamping both of their thumbs together, his knuckles kissing her own tiny ones. 

"Pinky promise."

"Seal pwomise, Daddy."

Oh right, how could he forget? Chanyeol chuckles as he dives down and kisses their connected thumbs, smacking his lips together audibly that made Sera giggle. "There. Pinky promised and sealed."

Baekhyun does the same with Sejoo's little pinky and noses the dear boy after, affectionately. 

"Okay, Daddy and Dada go," Sera announces her approval like she's the big boss of this family and resumes playing with her rubber duckies as though nothing happened. 

_That was easy,_ Chanyeol thinks as he catches Baekhyun looking at him at the same time, relief washing over their faces. The twins handled the news fairly well. All their separation training is paying off at the least. The kids are starting to trust and build their confidence to be alone without their parents.

"Now that's settled, I'll leave them to you and go get changed," Baekhyun says to him before looking down at Sejoo on his lap, "but no more playing in the water, okay?" 

"Okay, Dada." Sejoo meekly nods as Baekhyun gently puts him down the tub, tiny fists automatically clawing at the rim for support.

He hands the taller the showerhead to continue where he left on rinsing the suds off Sejoo's baby skin. There are still some left behind his ears and neck. 

Baekhyun stands up and gets out of the tub, white shirt and snug shorts sticking to his body and molding against his beautiful form and curves, the heavy fabric dripping water all over the tiled floor. Chanyeol gets a clean towel from the cubby for him while he shucks his wet shirt off his torso but is met with a little difficulty. 

"Ugh, why is this thing not cooperating." Baekhyun groans, voice muffled by the heavy soaked shirt now plastered at his face as it got stuck on his neck and chin. He shivers as cold air comes in contact with his exposed abdomen.

Chanyeol is quick to help him undress, draping the towel on his back all the while laughing at his unfortunate state, the struggling husbands completely unaware of the two sets of eyes watching them fumble and tug on the collar of the shirt, waiting for them to finish. 

"Sorry kids, I got a bigger baby to attend to here."

As soon as he regains his vision back, Baekhyun slaps him on the chest teasingly, hair messy and tangled all over his head, wet shirt left forgotten on the floor.

"I'll see you guys upstairs." Baekhyun tiptoes and pecks Chanyeol on the lips before facing his children to give them flying kisses. The twins mirror his gesture and strings of 'bye-byes' leaving their mouths as Baekhyun flees the room. 

Chanyeol starts cleaning the mess they've made, picking up scattered duckies of varying sizes, and shoots them all inside the toy basket near the tub. He mops the floor clean of leftover water and suds before finally pulling the rubber plug off the bottom of the tub. The twins watch amusedly as all the cloudy water rapidly circles down the drain, creating a vortex in the middle. 

Chanyeol pulls two new freshly laundered towels from the cubby and the twins excitedly shout ‘ _Buwito!’_ at him as they line themselves in front of Chanyeol obediently. 

The taller smiles fondly as he dries their hairs and bodies, gently patting their delicate skin with the soft fabric. He wraps them with one towel each, rolling the material around their bodies tightly like a burrito. He grabs the freshly bathed burritos by the waist and hoists them both up securely in his arms, the twins wiggling and giggling as he bounces them up and down.

Chanyeol takes comfort in the distinct baby smell emanating from their newly washed bodies, feeling utterly relaxed and content as they walk out of the bathroom and take the stairs to their bedroom.

It's not every day that he gets to feel these tiny sparks of joy from simply bathing his unruly twins, what with his tight and busy schedule from his company taking a great chunk of his time and keeping him away from home on most days; these little moments of bonding and quality time with his children effectively relieves him from all the stress that his work brings, a repose in the middle of the chaos that is his work. 

Chanyeol drops the twins on the bed, letting them roll around the mattress as he crosses to the nursery room to get two matching sets of sleeping pajamas from their closet, one yellow and one green, printed with the figures of the three bears from this morning's cartoon show. He fishes out a scar cream and a moisturizing baby lotion from the top drawer too, before heading back to the twins. 

The taller does their after bath care diligently, after Baekhyun has reiterated on and on about its importance, how sensitive and delicate their skins are at this age, and how it's important to keep them moisturized and massaged to keep the blood flow running. 

Standing at the foot of the bed with the twins lying on the mattress before him, Chanyeol squeezes copious amounts of the fragrance-free lotion to his palm before rubbing them together then lathering his hands on the twins' naked skin, alternating between Sera and Sejoo while massaging their limbs skin by skin. 

He makes funny faces to keep them entertained, sticking his tongue out and blowing raspberries down their tummies making them squirm and giggle like crazy. Always works like a charm. 

Chanyeol doesn't forget to put an extra layer of scar cream on Sera's scraped knee that she obtained after running around the playground unsupervised and tripping over a twig at their daycare the other day. The little incident involved a lot of crying from the inconsolable little girl until after Baekhyun had come to rescue and picked them up. 

He puts them on night diapers and into their character pajamas afterward. The twins are still in the midst of potty-training as they slowly wean them off diapers, forgoing them during the day and only wearing them at night. 

He makes a quick check of the time—half an hour left on the clock before he and Baekhyun have to leave for their dinner reservations. 

Baekhyun is still out and prepping, the babies are all ready for bed and they just have to wait for the sitter to arrive. Chanyeol sends a quick message to Ten asking him about his whereabouts. He gets his reply not a minute later.

 **From: TEN**  
06:15 PM  
 _I'll be there in 20 minutes._

Great, just right on time. 

Chanyeol dresses quickly, throwing on a classy all-black ensemble he specifically prepared for this occasion, going in and out of their walk-in closet all the while looking out for the twins lounging lazily on the bed from time to time. Sera and Sejoo busy themselves sifting through picture books that Chanyeol laid out for them. 

He styles his hair brush-up, coiffed and gelled meticulously to expose his forehead just the way Baekhyun loves. Chanyeol is all done and ready in no time. 

He stays by the bed with the twins on his lap, one on each thigh, his back propped against the headboard. He nervously fiddles with the inside of his pants pocket, playing around with his anniversary gift as they all wait for Baekhyun to finish. 

Chanyeol doesn’t even know what he is being nervous about. It feels like their very first date all over again, with the exception of the tiny humans on his lap playing with his black silk tie. 

Chanyeol doesn't fail to notice the curious stares his baby girl is throwing at his tummy, suddenly interested in his clothed abdomen and patting it down repeatedly with her palms as if assessing something. 

"What is it, baby?" 

"Boo-boos," she tries to say, looking up at Chanyeol inquisitively. "Dada boo-boos."

 _Boo-boos_ is their baby talk for wounds and scars. 

"Dada has boo-boos? Where?"

"Tum-tum." Sera pats his abdomen once more before she draws a long line on his dress shirt using her little pointing finger, starting from where his belly button is and down to his belt. 

“Dada boo-boos like Lala.” She lifts the hem of her pajama bottoms and bundles it on top of the knees to show her Daddy the tiny scar she has on the right, the one he applied a scar cream on not long ago. “Like this. On tum-tum.”

Baekhyun has a tummy scar? 

_Oh._

Chanyeol chuckles as it finally dawns on him what she might be talking about, picks his daughter from his lap, and brings her forward so they are face-to-face. Sera must be referring to Baekhyun's cesarean scar. 

"That's a pregnancy scar, baby."

Sera looks at him confusedly, eyebrows scrunching cutely as she struggles to repeat the foreign word, "P-pweg…nacy?" 

"Yes, Dada's boo-boos were from his pregnancy. It's when you and Joojoo used to live inside Dada's tum-tum." 

Chanyeol puts her down the bed beside Sejoo, running his fingers through their silky locks as he tries to explain where the scar is from in a manner that is easier for them to grasp. 

“Remember how Dada always says sleeping will help you grow? Well, you guys slept inside Dada’s tummy for a very long time. For nine months, you just slept and slept until you grew bigger and bigger. And then, Dada’s tum-tum grew into the size of a watermelon. Like this,” Chanyeol draws a big imaginary balloon on the air above his stomach to demonstrate a bulging pregnant belly, “like the one downstairs in our kitchen? You know the green round one? That big and heavy.”

"When the two of you are big enough and ready to come out of his tummy, the doctors have to cut Dada's belly carefully in the middle. Like here,” he looks down to his own belly and traces a line down it just like Sera did. “Because of Sera and Sejoo—" 

Chanyeol hears a sharp sniff out of nowhere and before he knows it, Sera is bawling her eyes out, tears running down her cheeks profusely, screaming and wailing for her Dada to come. 

_Oh shit. What just happened?_

Chanyeol didn’t expect her to cry like this. He shrugs his suit jacket off at once, letting it fall on the bed before picking up the crying toddler. He bounces her on his arms and tries to console her, “Shh, no no, it’s okay, it’s okay. Why are you crying?”

But Chanyeol is only met with even louder cries, the agitated girl squirming on his arms and kicking her feet in the air, trembling lips desperately calling for her other father as she continues to wail. 

“I’m so sorry baby. Daddy's here,” Chanyeol gently pats her back as he walks around the room aimlessly. The cries are not stopping and her tears and snot are all mixing on her face and wetting the front of his dress shirt. He tries to wipe her face but Sera is wriggling too much, trying to avoid his hand so he puts her back on the bed. 

Sera thrashes like a starfish once her back meets the mattress, kicking her arms and feet furiously against the covers as a fresh batch of hot tears falls down her face. She’s crying so hard that she’s starting to hiccup, struggling to breathe amidst the tears. It seems she only wants her Dada right now and as much as Chanyeol would like to do that, he couldn't just call Baekhyun for rescue. 

“Dadaaaa,” his daughter screams through the tears.

“No no, I’m sorry, shhh Daddy’s here. Stop crying now,” Chanyeol murmurs painfully as he alternates from rubbing and patting Sera’s belly to calm her down. 

Chanyeol makes a quick glance at his watch to check the time. They still have a dinner reservation to get to and they are going to be late if the cryings won't stop. They couldn't exactly leave the twins in this state, crying in distress in the hands of another person. 

And besides, Baekhyun wouldn't allow it. He will never leave the house knowing the twins are crying and agitated. That's why Chanyeol tries to take matters under control before Baekhyun hears and finds them like this. 

But alas, Sera is inconsolable no matter how much begging for her to stop he tries to do. The cries only get louder though, as if a whole nursery of babies are simultaneously wailing, and that’s when he finally looks up and finds his other toddler, neglected at the top of the bed, crying and thrashing between the pillows.

“No no no, not you too, Sejoo,” Chanyeol groans helplessly, looking back and forth at his crying toddlers. 

Sejoo must have been agitated and triggered by his sister’s crying. He was fine one moment and now he’s joining his sister in her crying parade. It was always like this with the twins. When one is crying, the other follows suit as if sympathizing with the other twin who feels the pain or discomfort.

The joint cries are breaking his heart and he feels utterly useless at not knowing what to do. He shouldn’t have told them about the belly cutting. Maybe that was what initiated the cries. Baekhyun is seriously going to be furious at him. He scared their babies off with his storytelling. 

“Shh, hey little man Daddy’s here. I'm so sorry for making you cry,” Chanyeol coos as he leaves Sera’s side to pick Sejoo up from the mountains of pillows he’s buried in.

The little boy immediately clings to his neck, laying his head down his shoulder, facing him. Chanyeol pats his back soothingly and whispers sweet nothings against his ears as his son stares at him still sobbing, eyes glassy and fat tears clinging on his lashes before they fall down on his shoulder.

Chanyeol walks back to the foot of the bed with a whimpering son in his arms and a daughter still trashing on the bed. Sera has now changed her position, rolled over on her tummy, and facing away from Chanyeol. She tries to hide herself by crawling under the covers and burying her face on the mattress as she continues to hiccup and sniff, her whole body trembling at the force of her cries. 

"Stop crying now, Sera-ya. Daddy is sorry for making you cry. I didn't mean to upset you, baby. Daddy—" 

The bedroom door bursts open revealing his husband clad in nothing but a red wool bathrobe that ends in the middle of his milky thighs, rollers stuck on his chestnut brown hair, and with only one fleece slipper on his feet, trying to catch his breath like he had just run from wherever he came from. 

"Chanyeol what happened here? I heard cryings."

Baekhyun walks towards him and sees their son sobbing helplessly on his shoulder. "Oh no my poor baby, why are you crying?" 

Sejoo perks up upon hearing his voice and promptly leans his body towards Baekhyun, holding his arms out. 

Up close, Chanyeol can see Baekhyun's unfinished make-up, his eyebrows are nicely done but his left eye is still bare of any cosmetic products. Chanyeol tries not to laugh as he transfers his son to his husband's arms without another word. 

Sejoo tightens his arms around Baekhyun's neck and buries his face on the crook of his shoulder, "Dada’s here my little munchkin, Dada’s here." 

Baekhyun continues to rub his son's back as he worriedly asks, "Chanyeol, what happened? And where's our daughter?" 

Chanyeol pulls the duvet to the side, unveiling their daughter who is now in a fetal position, hugging herself and still sobbing, her back turned to them. 

Baekhyun carefully sits on the foot of the bed and runs her hand along her spine gingerly. "Baby girl, Dada's here. What’s the matter?"

The little girl immediately rolls to her side and crawls her way to Baekhyun's direction. She climbs on his lap, and throws herself at him, staking claim on the opposite shoulder Sejoo isn't clinging on. 

Now Baekhyun has an armful of crying toddlers, tears and snot combined sticking at the sides of his neck and tiny fists bundling the fabric of his bathrobe, clinging for dear life. He stands up from the bed and bounces them once to steady and balance their weight in his hold as he faces his husband. 

Baekhyun taps his bare, slipper-less foot down the carpeted floor, eyes turning to tiny slits and voice eerily calm when he asks, "Honey, what did you do?"

Oh boy. 

Chanyeol can only sigh in defeat, slumping forward. This is going to be a long night. 

In Chanyeol’s defense, he was just trying to explain Baekhyun's belly scar. They asked, he was just satisfying their curiosities.

Except it wasn't near anything satisfying and beyond unhelpful at all. It was more like a scary story that should be reserved for Halloween to frighten unsuspecting children because no one tells kids at this age the horrors of pregnancy and what goes on during labor. Cutting into bellies to pop out babies doesn't exactly pass as a good bedtime story. 

He's realized that now after a crying fest that involved two inconsolable toddlers and a very disappointed, albeit oddly calm husband, still trying to appease said toddlers. Not to mention how every second that passes by teeters towards a failing anniversary surprise, a weekend celebration that they are most likely not going to get to, gone with the passing wind. 

Chanyeol has Sejoo in his arms, rocking him back and forth while Baekhyun does the same with Sera, the two parents running out of ideas to placate the twins. 

They have tried every known trick in their book that usually calms the twins during their temper tantrums, going as far as promising to take them to the amusement park tomorrow to see the three bear mascots from their favorite cartoon show, but nothing has worked so far. 

Eventually, the twins are going to get tired from too much crying and Chanyeol would very much like for that to happen right now as he coaxes the twins to drink some water from their sippy cups. All that crying has only given them dehydration.

They are already 30 minutes late for their dinner reservations and they still don't have the situation under control. Adding to their worries is the babysitter who is still nowhere to be found. An hour has passed since Ten's last update of his whereabouts but he still hasn't arrived yet. They tried calling him but his number cannot be reached either. Chanyeol prays nothing bad happened to him while on the road on his way here. 

"Should I inform Jongdae that we won't be able to make it?" 

Baekhyun stares at him forlornly, their sweet anniversary weekend alone together slipping right through their fingers like falling sand.

He might not like the notion of forgoing their anniversary plans altogether or rescheduling at the very least, but it's what the situation requires. The twins always come first. The comfort and safety of their children is always the top priority. Everything else just follows. 

Chanyeol knows the very same thoughts are running inside Baekhyun's head as he nods slowly at him, sighing in utter defeat as he mouths the words, _‘Next time’._

"I know," Chanyeol sadly smiles, repeating the words back at him, "next time."

He fishes his phone out and sends a quick message to Jongdae informing him of their change of plans, for the second time around. 

He should probably cancel their hotel accommodation and the private cruise he booked, too. He's renting the yacht by the hour and every minute that passes by that they're not sailing out there at the sea is a dollar off his own pocket. 

_So much for a grand surprise,_ Chanyeol thumbs the outlines of a tiny box protruding from the inside of his pants pocket. Guess it'll have to wait some other time. They've got more pressing matters right now. 

Sejoo's cries are gradually dying down into small sobs and whimpers as Chanyeol continues to rock the little boy on his chest, wiping his tear-stained cheek with the back of his hand. 

Meanwhile, Baekhyun cradles Sera's head as he whispers comforting words against her ear, "Shh, Dada's here now. It's okay. Dada's okay, baby. Nothing happened to me." 

"Sowee, Dada," the little girl mumbles weakly, muffled by skin and almost indecipherable by how little and coarse her voice is from all that crying. 

"What for, my love?" 

"Dada boo-boos. Sowee Dada." Sera buries her face further into his father's neck, shying away from Baekhyun's confused stares. 

_Oh my god._ Chanyeol's heart breaks after finally realizing what the twins are crying about. He walks up to Baekhyun and holds Sera's hand, shaking it gently as he tries to catch her attention. 

"Sera, look at Daddy please." 

It doesn't take long before she eventually relents, peeking one eye out bashfully behind her arms from her tight embrace on Baekhyun's neck. Chanyeol gives her a sweet smile before kissing her tiny palm. 

"It's not your fault, baby girl. Dada's boo-boos on his tummy is not your fault. We don't blame you for it. We love you guys so so much, you and Sejoo both."

"Oh my god."

The gears are finally working inside Baekhyun's head, realization reflecting in his eyes as he pieces together everything that happened from the past couple of days that led the twins to think this way. It all makes sense now. 

Especially after Sera has some scars on her own, she knew firsthand what pain felt like when she had her knee scraped from a fall. The experience made her cry buckets and an excruciating pain too much to handle for a little girl with a tiny body like hers. 

She knew what scars meant and the feelings it evoked. And somehow, she associated her own scar and experience with Baekhyun's own cesarean scar after hearing Chanyeol's storytelling.

She must have felt scared and pained for her Dada and that lingering guilt of being the one to have caused such pain to his beloved father. For an age like hers, she's exceptionally sensitive and empathetic. 

Sera is sniffing through the last of her cries as she finally pulls back from her vice-like grip on Baekhyun’s neck, looking up at him with shy puffy eyes and a red nose.

Baekhyun's heart clenches as he takes in the red-rimmed eyes and the tear tracks along her smooth cheeks. He ducks down without a word and holds his forehead against Sera's own, trying to fight back tears that are threatening to fall at an alarming speed. He can't cry now or he might trigger another heartbreaking fit.

"You are the best thing that ever happened to us. You and Sejoo. I'll do it all over again if I have to. All that pain was worth it if it meant I get to have you both—" Baekhyun pauses, swallowing a thick lump around his throat, "you are my babies. You are Dada's precious little babies. I love you so much."

Sera might not yet understand the depth of his words but he's just so utterly grateful to have been blessed with the daughter and son he has now. Baekhyun noses Sera’s features lovingly, tightening his embrace around her when she starts giggling and squirming after his ministrations. Baekhyun sighs in relief after finally hearing her bubbly laugh again. They're okay. Sera and Sejoo are going to be fine. 

Baekhyun smiles as he feels another head trying to squeeze in between his and Sera's joined foreheads. From the side, Sejoo is leaning towards them from Chanyeol's arms trying to be included in their embrace and headlock. Baekhyun pulls back and swivels his head to the right, giving Sejoo his turn to stick his forehead against his own.

"Of course, I love you too, Sejoo-ya. You're my precious little boy. Dada loves you so much."

Chanyeol observes everything from the side adoringly, drowning with so much love in this warm little bubble they are enveloped in. Baekhyun and himself have raised sweet and loving and kind little children and he couldn't possibly ask for more. His heart brims with so much pride and joy. 

Chanyeol cages them all in a bone-crushing hug, looping one long arm around Baekhyun and tenderly kisses the crown of their heads, one by one. 

They might not be enjoying a lavish anniversary weekend together right at this moment, but that's okay. Chanyeol would never trade this loving moment with their children for anything else, not for a fancy dinner date nor a luxurious cruise. And he knows deep in the recesses of his heart that Baekhyun would do the same.

At the end of the day, he'd rather celebrate this new milestone of their lives together with the ones that actually mattered, the sole reason why they were where they are in the first place—with the tiny little humans who completed their lives and made every tomorrow something to look forward to. 

After all, there's no one else he'd rather spend every waking moment of his life with other than his adorable husband and the two equally adorable toddlers they nurtured and cherished and would fight tooth and nail for. 

Chanyeol loves his little family more than anything else in this world.


	2. Good Evening

The night has fully seeped in, a million tiny twinkling stars from afar decorating the sky like a splash of white paint against an inky black canvas, cicadas serenading the quiet of the night, and that lone mysterious moon casting its light against the humble and lovely Park-Byun abode. 

Their open balcony facing Baekhyun's garden and shrubbery is the perfect spot to take in all these wonders that only night can bring, Chanyeol muses from his spot against the railings making last-minute phone calls to cancel their bookings and reservations for the weekend. In the end, they have decided to stay by the twins after that whole crying fiasco.

The sliding glass doors to the balcony are kept open to let the cool night breeze in, sheer white curtains dancing and billowing with every breath of wind. Chanyeol, still in his all black ensemble minus the suit jacket and tie, pops open the first few buttons of his dress shirt as he thanks the hotel receptionist from the other line.

The night is calm and quiet, peaceful and mysterious, but the same thing cannot be said inside Chanyeol and Baekhyun's connecting room, where the taller can hear the distinct happy giggles and shrieking from the inside. 

The two parents have a hard time getting the twins to sleep. It's already way past their bedtime but Sera and Sejoo are still wide awake and refuse to go to bed, tiring their parents out of their wits as if all that crying has done nothing to their energies. 

They built forts and teepee tents using blankets and pillows where the twins placed their stuffed animals inside to mimic a camping ground site. Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s room is a whole mess of white sheets and stuffed toys. Sera and Sejoo are probably taking advantage of the fact that they no longer have to go to their 'trip' and leave them behind. 

Chanyeol walks back into their room to the sight of his husband, still in his red bathrobe, hair disheveled and stomping around the room in big heavy footsteps. The two toddlers donning matching tiger onesies cling tightly on each of his legs like koala bears on a tree trunk, giggling and squealing for Baekhyun to walk faster.

But Baekhyun could no longer get any faster because he’s too tired and drained to keep up with his children's energy. 

"Still?" 

The taller chuckles as Baekhyun looks at him with pleading eyes, silently begging to take over because he's so damn exhausted. It's been two hours of running around and playing hide and seek—Baekhyun pretending to be the mother tiger and running after his cubs—but the twins are still so full of vigor. 

Chanyeol takes Sera off his leg, hoists her up and throws her into the air—the little girl shrieking in delight and thrill—then catching her in his arms like she weighs nothing. She begs to be thrown once again, kicking her feet in the air and wriggling like crazy.

"Again! Daddy again!" 

Chanyeol willingly obliges, but this time he throws her into the bed instead, the little girl laughing in amusement as she bounces up and down the springy mattress and fluffy duvet. 

"That'll do, I guess," Baekhyun shrugs from the side, looking down at Sejoo who is tugging at the hems of his bathrobe, making grabby hands and bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Dada, Joojoo too!" 

Baekhyun grabs Sejoo by the armpits and prepares to launch the little boy like a projectile into the bed, the same way Chanyeol did with their daughter. Sejoo flies through the air and joins the messy heap of tangled limbs and duvet soon after, giggling with her sister and rolling around the mattress wildly. 

"Okay you two, time to sleep now. Enough playing," Chanyeol says in finality, voice a tad lower and deeper than normal that he only ever uses when the twins are being a little too rowdy and difficult to handle. 

He goes around the bed on one side while Baekhyun takes the other, fluffing the pillows and propping them against the headboard. They both climb to bed as the twin tiger cubs waddle towards their parents, Sejoo plopping down and clinging on Chanyeol's side while Sera on Baekhyun's. The onesies were a gift from their Uncle Sehun on their second birthday.

"What should we read for tonight?" Baekhyun asks as he pulls open the top drawer of the nightstand and retrieves the picture books they keep inside for daily bedtime stories. 

As he moves and bends forward, the ties to his robe break loose, exposing his naked chest and abdomen. He scrambles to fix the robe in a hurry, but stops midway upon noticing his daughter blatantly staring at his tummy scar, blinking once, twice, before holding a curious palm out. 

Sera runs her fingers down the vertical scar, feeling the bumps and creases of the raised skin along the pads of her fingertips. Baekhyun lets her have her fill, stroking her hair lovingly as he observes her every movement. 

"Dada ouchy?" 

"It's all healed now, my love. Dada is no longer hurt."

"Oh! I know what we should read for a bedtime story. I'll be right back," Chanyeol pipes up from the side, getting out of the bed and skipping into the nursery room across. 

Baekhyun resumes in fixing his robe, tying it in the middle securely. He removes the rollers on his head one after the other, strands of his hair falling down in gorgeous brown curls and waves, albeit messily on some parts. He was going after a faux perm for tonight's supposed dinner date but things happened. 

Then, he grabs a makeup remover towelette—he has a pack that he keeps by the nightstand for when he is too tired to get up and wash his face—and wipes the makeup off his face. He must have looked ridiculous all this time, forgetting he only had one eye done.

Chanyeol comes back with a familiar thick pastel yellow book in his hands, assumes his earlier position on the left side of the bed and pulls Sejoo to his lap. 

Baekhyun grins amusedly, watching the two toddlers ogling curiously at the thick new book before them, one that they have never seen before. 

"The baby book? Really?" 

Chanyeol has brought over Baekhyun's pregnancy scrapbook that he personally made and gifted to his husband on the twins' first birthday. It’s a memoir of polaroid photos that Chanyeol took, documenting Baekhyun's pregnancy and labor, from day one up to the twin's birth, decorated with some glitters and cute stickers, and with short commentaries on the side in Chanyeol's messy handwriting. 

Baekhyun is hit with a strong sense of nostalgia. He hasn't opened the scrapbook in years, but the memories it evoked were clear as day, like everything happened just yesterday. 

"Daddy, what that?" Sera points to the scrapbook in Chanyeol's arms, eyeing it curiously. 

"This," Chanyeol brings the scrapbook forward, showing the twins the cover where a black and white sonogram is smack-dabbed in the middle and the words, _‘Our Sunshine’_ below it in fancy cursive, "is the journey of how two lovely angels came into this world. You want to know their story?" 

He receives a collective 'yes' and enthusiastic nods from the twins, even from Baekhyun who is grinning widely and scooching closer to him with Sera perched snugly on his lap. 

They make themselves comfortable, adjusting the pillows behind their backs and lying lazily while the twins are sitting obediently on their laps.

Chanyeol flips open the book to its first page. A lone polaroid photo is pasted in the middle of the white page, of two arms brought side by side, both wearing handmade friendship bracelets made of assorted blue, white, and orange beads and white lettered blocks that read 'LOEY' and 'HYUN', respectively, pieced all together by a nylon string. 

"This is your Dada's arm," Chanyeol says, pointing to the slimmer arm wearing the LOEY bracelet. He continues and points to the one beside, "and this is mine. When I met your Dada for the first time, he was wearing one of these. They are really cute, aren’t they? He got mad because I tried to take his bracelet off his arm."

Chanyeol chuckles as he looks Baekhyun in the eye, memories of their first meeting replaying in his head like a movie reel. Baekhyun smiles back, fond and enamored. 

"Yep, I remember that. Your Daddy was trying to steal my cute bracelet away, so I bit his hand."

"Bad Dada," Sejoo meekly mumbles from Chanyeol's lap. 

The two parents laugh at their little boy's adorable quip, mimicking Baekhyun that one time when the toddlers were teething and biting each other because of a stuffed animal they're fighting over. 

"That's right Sejoo-ya, you shouldn't bite other people because that's bad and it will hurt them," Chanyeol says. 

"Daddy ouchy?" 

"Hmm, a bit, but Dada said sorry to me the next day. So it was all okay now."

"Why Daddy take bwacelet?"

***  
**11 years ago**

Baekhyun was a calm and collected guy. He hated confrontations above anything else, maybe more than his hatred of cucumbers and that said a lot because he utterly, with all his soul and body, despised that green disgusting vegetable to the core. 

He had no issues with anger management and was pretty much a cheerful person to be with, or so he thought. As much as possible, he tried to look at every possible angle to a story, assessed the problem carefully, weighed his options, and only then he would exercise proper judgment and decide the best course of action to resolve the conflict.

But all these would go straight down the drain the moment someone decided to mess with Baekhyun's sleep. No one messed with Baekhyun's sleep. And his new neighbor probably should have known about that before he decided to move in. 

His neighbor, the one directly above his unit, was on very thin ice, so close to breaking and tipping the edge, unleashing the monster that only a sleep-deprived Baekhyun could manifest. 

One more. He's giving this inconsiderate neighbor one last chance because one more day of—

Baekhyun woke up with a start, disoriented and dazed. Loud, heavy poundings on his ceiling had started yet again.

He blinked a couple of times before he groaned frustratingly as confusion slowly gave way to clarity, ears picking up the loud thumps at his ceilings. He rolled to his stomach and brought his pillow to cover his head firmly, trying to muffle the glaring noise. 

It was definitely not helping when the walls and ceiling of this dingy apartment were paper thin that he could almost hear the faintest of whispers from the next-door neighbor enough to form a coherent sentence. 

Which was exactly why the loud poundings from above his ceiling were magnified tenfold, echoing across the four walls of this tiny, below-average unit and effectively disturbing Baekhyun's not so restful sleep. 

This wasn't exactly an ideal environment nor an amiable living situation for a struggling university student, who needed all the peace and quiet this world could offer to be able to concentrate on his studies and readings. 

Unfortunately for him, he was also this poor second-year Art student who was self-supporting and could only ever afford this kind of accommodation. His university matriculation and art supplies were expensive enough as it was, and Baekhyun needed all the penny that he could save to be spent where it actually mattered. 

He could live with this, he could endure it, he had been for the last three years. But his annoying neighbor was seriously testing his patience. Baekhyun just couldn't understand why his neighbor decided to do whatever he was doing right now, during the wee hours of the night, when people, _sane people_ , were supposed to rest, sleep and recharge. 

He could've easily let this pass if it only happened once, but this had been going on for the last three days, always during this particular hour, waking him up in the middle of the night groggy and confused.

Baekhyun reluctantly pulled his head from where it was buried down the mattress and squinted his eyes to check the time, groaning. Yep, three in the fucking morning. Great.

Baekhyun looked up, glaring hard and sending daggers at his ceiling that he hoped was thin enough to pierce the material and puncture his neighbor straight to the chest. 

The loud poundings were insistent and seemed to have only gotten worse and louder each time, but Baekhyun had had enough. This unlawful and unkind disturbance to his much-needed sleep has got to stop. This was bordering insane, insensitive, and ruthless. 

Baekhyun begrudgingly slipped a shirt on, he slept without one these days because it was still summer and even nights were scorchingly hot and unforgiving. Plus the fan was also broken and he couldn't afford to buy a replacement. 

He got out of bed and into the quiet abandoned hallway. He trudged up the narrow emergency stairs to the floor above and stopped at Unit 614, the one directly above his own. 

Baekhyun contemplated whether banging his knuckles hard down the wooden door before him to give his neighbor a taste of his own medicine or just calmly deal with this like the good, considerate neighbor that he was and just knock once or twice. 

He settled on the latter, rapping his fist against the door loud enough to be heard, twice. There was no answer but the poundings could still be heard from the other side of the door, and now closer to the source he could vaguely make as someone _hammering_. 

His neighbor must really be out of his mind to be hammering at this time of the day. Weren’t his next-door neighbors bothered by any of this? If it was loud enough for it to be heard downstairs, Baekhyun couldn't imagine how horrible this might be for his next-door neighbors. 

He was kind enough to confront his neighbor first before reporting him to their landlady in hopes of settling everything in peace. 

Baekhyun decided to tone his knocks up a notch after several minutes of no response, now banging an open palm against the hard wood door. 

The hammerings stopped almost immediately. 

Baekhyun started conditioning himself, rehearsing his speech in his head to give this unruly neighbor a piece of his own mind. 

He could hear shuffling behind the door, locks being fiddled with— _he was still so pissed about the interruptions to his sleep for the past three days_ —the sound of a knob being twisted open— _it was only fair, right? After all, he was doing their other neighbors a favor_ —the door shifted with an audible creak of rusty hinges, soft dimmed light filtered outside the room and illuminated Baekhyun's face before a tall figure completely blocked the source— _this was it, he’s finally meeting the rude neighbor._ Baekhyun could only hope that—

"You're naked." Baekhyun gulped, eyes widening in shame as soon as he realized what just came out of his mouth. _What the hell was that?_ He cried inwardly. That wasn't the opening that he rehearsed!

His neighbor blinked a couple of times before looking down at his torso, his _sweaty naked torso,_ and regarded Baekhyun like it was nothing. "Yeah, I can see that." His neighbor was grinning, pearly white teeth on full display. "Sorry about that. It was really hot and I was doing something at the moment. Can I help you with anything?" 

_He wasn't sorry at all_ , Baekhyun fumed with annoyance, fists balled tightly and itching to wipe that stupid smirk off his face. He didn't even bother to wipe his sweat nor put on a shirt before greeting his visitors. Did he really think Baekhyun would enjoy this naked display in front of him and throw him off his game? 

_Absolutely not._

A drop of sweat traveled from his neighbor's neck, down to his perky chest, on his toned abdomen, before disappearing completely behind the belt of his cargo shorts. 

He just couldn't take his eyes off his naked torso—okay, maybe he was a little thrown off, Baekhyun begrudgingly admitted to himself. That was clearly unexpected and rendered him momentarily speechless. It was really distracting in all sense.

He tried so hard to focus his gaze on his face instead before he got preoccupied with something else again. Baekhyun reminded himself of what he was here really here for. It’s for the disturbing noises, not this sweaty shirtless man in front of him.

But now that he was staring at him in the face, Baekhyun thought he really was handsome, just like what Seungwan said, the building landlady's daughter. His face was small, sharp in some edges but mostly smooth and soft. 

He had pretty big, almond eyes. It was the most noticeable feature in his gorgeous face. And those ears, pointy and sticking out of the sides of his head. It looked cute. Not to mention how he was so tall, Baekhyun had to crane his head so he could meet him in the eye.

Baekhyun couldn't help but feel like he had seen him somewhere before. His neighbor's face looked awfully familiar, he just couldn't pinpoint who. 

He cleared his throat once, leveled his eyes with his neighbors' own, squared his shoulders, and puffed out his chest a little. 

"About that," Baekhyun started, "that something you were doing before I knocked…were you perhaps, hammering? At this late?" 

His neighbor glanced back inside his unit. "Yes, I was. Why? Do you need help with something?" 

Baekhyun could not believe what he was hearing. He should really stop beating around the bush.

“Okay, let me rephrase that.” Sighing, he tried once again. “I don't know why you're hammering this late at night but I could hear you from downstairs, I'm renting the unit below you by the way, and this was going on for the last three days and it's—it's disturbing my sleep."

"Oh." 

Well, at least now his neighbor looked remorseful, embarrassment coloring in his face. He rubbed his face before opening the door all the way so Baekhyun could see the interior of his unit. 

_His apartment looked really nice,_ Baekhyun thought, as he blatantly stared at the view before him. Were they renting at the same building? His neighbor's looked renovated and much more decent compared to his own rundown room. 

He got fancy furniture and appliances, and his walls were painted in neutral earth colors. 

"God, I'm so sorry I was such an ass. I really thought I wasn't being loud. The unit to the right is vacated and the one on the left is rented by my friend from college who sleeps like a dead log so I really had no idea I was being this loud. I'm so sorry."

Well, that explained the lack of complaints. 

"The hammering is for a woodworking project for my Interior Design class, and that is due tomorrow. I can only work on it during this time because I had a lot of stuff going on during the day." 

Baekhyun almost missed the pile of woods and scattered nails beside what looked like a mini coffee table, still missing some of its legs and located at the center of the living room. His eyes were too busy ogling and roaming around the unit's interior to notice.

"I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to be inconsiderate."

His neighbor looked contrite enough, effectively melting Baekhyun's resolve and the retort he was withholding at the tip of his tongue. So he was a college student like him, that at the least he could understand. Sighing, Baekhyun decided to just let this pass. 

"As long as this won't happen again."

"I promise," his neighbor was back to smiling cheekily again. Baekhyun felt weird. Was he always this cheerful? 

Oddly enough, Baekhyun felt relieved. He had successfully resolved this matter without resorting to violence and tattling, plus his neighbor wasn't so bad and deranged after all. 

"My name is Chanyeol, by the way. I just moved in here a week ago."

"Yeah, I know. The landlady's daughter told me there was a new tenant above mine," Baekhyun tried rolling his name in his tongue, "Chanyeol."

"Yep, that's me. Park Chanyeol."

His neighbor extended one arm forward, waiting for his hand. 

This _Park Chanyeol_ smiled too much. His cheeks were going to hurt at this rate. But he couldn’t deny that he really had a nice smile, blinding. Baekhyun found it cute, but he's not going to tell him that. 

"I'm Byun Baek—" 

As he was about to take the offered hand, Chanyeol all of a sudden yanked his arm forward towards him, cupping and gripping his wrist firmly and staring down at his hand, _or at his bracelet rather_ after Baekhyun followed his gaze. He was staring at a beaded friendship bracelet given by a special friend years ago. "What—" 

"Where did you get this?" 

Baekhyun was startled by the sudden rise of voice, tone accusing and invasive. Chanyeol’s pupils were blown wide, staring hard at his bracelet for a moment longer, until they traveled back to his face. He was staring intensely that Baekhyun found it difficult to reciprocate the gaze. It felt like he was searching for _something_ , brown orbs staring directly into his eyes like he could gain access to his soul, his mind, his _memories_. 

Baekhyun directed his eyes down to his wrist. It was starting to hurt.

He tried pulling his arm back but to no avail, the hand on his wrist just clamped even more tightly. His mind was swimming with thoughts of fighting or fleeing, still trying to tug his hand as hard as he could, resisting Chanyeol’s strong grip. 

He was now running on instinct, suddenly afraid of his half-naked neighbor who he just met no more than 10 minutes ago. He was no match for this guy’s strength, he was so tall and strongly built. 

But what he lacked in power, he made up with his quick thinking. Baekhyun was fast and smart, his neighbor didn’t see it coming when he suddenly ducked down and bit the restricting hand around his wrist. That easily made Chanyeol yelp in pain and release his tight grip. 

As soon as he was freed, Baekhyun bolted towards the stairs without so much as a glance backward, went down two steps at a time until he reached his floor and went inside the safe confines of his room, locking the door securely. 

He was panting hard, hand clutching the fabric covering his chest, scared for dear life. 

_What the hell was that._

Baekhyun leaned his back against the door and played with the bracelet on his wrist, staring at the four-lettered blocks. 

_L O E Y_

It had always worked before, whenever he was stressed or scared, he would stroke the colorful beads and tiny blocks adorning the bracelet to calm himself down.

The four-letter name stirred happy memories within him, of playgrounds and swings, of sleepovers and powdered doughnuts, of a chubby boy with long pointed ears and blinding smiles. Somehow, replaying memories of him with his estranged childhood friend made him relax, his labored breathing was starting to even out. 

Baekhyun closed his eyes, and in a yearning whisper towards himself, he couldn't help but wonder. 

"Where are you, Loey?" 

Baekhyun found Chanyeol in the elevator the next morning. 

He could not believe his luck. His neighbor, who had a really weird fixation with his bracelet and whose apartment was very nice-looking, was alone inside when the elevator doors opened, a medium-sized wooden coffee table by his side, all shiny and smelling of fresh varnish. 

Baekhyun stopped in his tracks the moment their eyes met. He contemplated whether to take this ride or not; he would be late to class if he didn't, but he also didn't want to share an awkward elevator ride with Chanyeol. Who knew what he was up to this time now. 

Thank the heavens he wasn't wearing the bracelet today. It was too precious for Baekhyun to risk getting stolen or destroyed, especially after what happened the other night and the likely chance of bumping into Chanyeol at any moment. They were living under the same building after all. 

His bracelet might not be special nor expensive per se, but the memories it held were everything to him. It was one of a kind. It was Baekhyun's most prized possession, fancier than any diamond-encrusted or gold bracelet there ever was. 

Chanyeol stepped to the side and held the elevator door open with a hand. "Are you coming in or not?" 

Baekhyun anxiously checked his watch. He was already running late and his art professor was very particular with time, she hated slackers the most. He'd probably take hours if he decided to just take the emergency stairs. It was five stories high, for crying out loud. Baekhyun groaned inwardly, he was left with no choice. 

The Art student took a deep breath, avoiding Chanyeol's eyes as he stepped inside the lift and went for the opposite corner far from the latter's spot. He set the large 32x48 inches blank canvas he was carrying down the floor and on the space between them, eyes strictly kept upfront. The elevator doors finally closed. 

It was the most unpleasant three minutes of his life, as Baekhyun kept his eyes above, staring and willing the changing floor numbers to go any faster, foot tapping uncontrollably against the metal ground. He could practically hear Chanyeol breathing from the other side.

Five went to four. Baekhyun heard a ding. 

The doors opened once again, but no one was outside so Chanyeol pressed the close button. As soon as the doors were closed, Baekhyun saw from his peripheral his neighbor turning to the side and facing him, arms crossed in front of his chest. Baekhyun kept his eyes forward, holding his breath.

"Uhm, Byun Baek is it?" Chanyeol started, testing the waters. 

After not receiving any kind of reaction or even the slightest of acknowledgment, the taller just went on with it. "Okay, I know we got off the wrong foot the other day but I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that."

Third floor.

"I thought I saw something, but I clearly was mistaken. I mistook your bracelet for someone else's, someone dear to me. It did look similar, though. But that was one of a kind. I made that myself, so there's really no way for it to be the same. Sorry about that." 

Second floor. 

"I still hope we can be friends? I am new to the area and could probably use some help. I also wanted to make it up to you for the nightly noises I made and for disturbing your sleep. That was really rude of me.”

Baekhyun kept mum, staring hard at the changing numbers. 

“Or even just friendly neighbors will do? Well, I'm still your neighbor by default so," Chanyeol chuckled, scratching his head, "...yeah."

First floor and they both heard the elevator ding. The metal doors opened to the building lobby, _finally._

"See you around, I guess?" 

Even though Baekhyun was not looking, he could still feel his neighbor smiling from the side. Chanyeol went out of the lift first, hauling his wooden table between his arms and chest.

His apology felt sincere, but not once did Baekhyun looked at him nor acknowledged his presence. He was left staring at his retreating figure, suddenly feeling bad for reacting the way he did. 

He should probably apologize too, for biting Chanyeol's hand among others. 

It was later that evening when they met again. 

Baekhyun was walking towards the elevator, figure slumped and face weary, swinging a bag of Chinese take-out in one hand while clutching his wet umbrella in the other. 

It had been raining when he left the campus grounds, the first downpour their small town had seen ever since summer broke. It was too hot and humid during the day, it was only high time for the clouds to get heavy and full. 

The cool, night breeze and the pit-pattering of raindrops against wet pavement helped clear his mind and relaxed his worn-out body as he walked his way towards his apartment building across the street. 

Baekhyun went inside the lift and pressed the 5th-floor button. He had the elevator all to himself. It was a given, considering how it was already late, it was a little past midnight when he reached the building. No one was in the lobby aside from him and the guard at the front door when he walked in. 

Baekhyun slouched backward, stretching his aching limbs as he leaned his face against the metallic wall. He groaned in satisfaction when his cheek met cold, hard surface. He was so exhausted he could just sleep here.

He was so damn tired from today's class and extracurricular activities. He had stayed out a little bit later than usual, assisting his professor with grading papers and art projects, then went to his after school clubs. When he was finally going home, he took a detour and went the longest route possible on his way to his apartment building, not caring about the heavy downpour. 

Because truth be told, he was really just avoiding Chanyeol. 

Baekhyun had stayed late on purpose because he didn't want to risk bumping into Chanyeol again after that awkward morning encounter with him, added to the fact that he still didn't know what to say if they ever met again. 

Did he want to be friends with Chanyeol? 

Baekhyun watched the view of the lobby's front desk disappearing behind the closing lift doors, getting slimmer and slimmer, until a hand wedged itself in between the heavy metal doors at the last second, preventing it from closing all the way. 

The doors re-opened to the face of the last person he expected to see, the person he was dreading to meet, panting and out of breath, soaked all over. His clothes and messenger bag are wet to the last inch. His wet fringe was sticking to his forehead sloppily, face and lips were pale and blue-ish. Did he not have an umbrella with him?

Chanyeol's wet clothes were dripping water down the metallic floor as he took the position opposite Baekhyun, not even once sparing him a glance. 

They rode the elevator in silence, Baekhyun taking occasional shy glimpses at his quiet form. Chanyeol was clutching his arms tightly, shivering. 

When the elevator finally arrived at his floor, Baekhyun immediately went out as soon as the doors opened, but not before pressing the 6th-floor button and mumbling a hurried, "You should drink some medicine and take a hot shower. I could ask Seungwan to bring you some if you don't have one with you. Also," Baekhyun took a brief pause, clearing this throat, "I'm sorry for biting your hand."

Chanyeol's ragged coughing and sneezing was the last thing he heard before the elevator doors finally closed behind him. 

***

"But instead of the landlady's daughter, it was your Dada who knocked on my door and brought me fever medicine. He took care of me that night, he barely even knew me aside from my name," Chanyeol says as he strokes his son’s hair, the little boy on his lap looking up and listening intently at him. 

Both Sejoo and Sera made faces upon recognizing the word 'medicine'. For as far as they are concerned, it is that yucky orange sticky drops that their Dada feeds them with when they're not feeling better, burning hot and running a fever. Baekhyun chuckles at their expressions, eyebrows and noses scrunching cutely in their baby version of a grimace. 

Chanyeol is about to flip to the next page when the doorbell suddenly rings. The two husbands share a look. 

"That must be Ten. God, I hope that's Ten," Baekhyun says, tone dripping with unbridled fear and worry. 

Ten has not called, nor texted for the past three hours and they still have no inkling of his current whereabouts. He was supposed to babysit for the twins and should have arrived several hours ago.

"Ten hyung!" 

The twins got all excited at the mention of their cousin’s name. They surely missed their uncle, it had been long since they last played with him. Ten used to come by and babysit during his semestral breaks and summer vacations. He hasn’t visited since he graduated and pursued a career in advertising, and that was ages ago. 

"I'm gonna go downstairs and check. You guys continue without Daddy, okay? I'll be quick."

Chanyeol hands the scrapbook to his husband as he lays Sejoo down on the bed and goes out of the room. The little boy crawls towards Baekhyun's side and plops down his lap unceremoniously, almost hitting his sister on the face when he nudged her to scooch over and make space. 

Before they could even start fighting over Baekhyun's lap, the smaller lifted them up to distribute their weights on each thigh so they're even, cradling and laying their heads against his robed chest as he strokes their hairs gently. 

"You guys want to know a secret?”

“Secwet?” Sejoo asks, blinking adorably.

“Yes baby, but don’t tell Daddy about this. It’s our own secret, okay?”

The twins both nod as they look up at Baekhyun with big curious eyes. 

“When I was a kid, like Sera and Sejoo right now but much bigger and older, I met a friend in school. He was my best buddy. We always played in the playground and ate powdered doughnuts together. That’s our favorite snack.” Baekhyun pauses, peering down at them with wistful, melancholic eyes. “Unfortunately, we got separated.”

The twins probably won't remember this or any of the things that they have previously told them. Nonetheless, Baekhyun still wants to share this story, his _treasured childhood memories_ , a big part of himself that he wants his precious children to know even if they won’t understand yet. 

Sejoo brings his small palm forward, cupping his father's cheek, "Dada sad, why…"

"I'm not sad, baby. Don't worry about Dada," Baekhyun quickly reassures, smiling fondly as he leans into the tiny touch barely holding his cheek, "I just remembered the little boy who was willing to eat green mangoes for me."

Sera scowls from his other side, shaking her head adamantly. Green mangoes are sour and yucky for them just like medicine. 

"Nwo gween mango." 

"You don't like it?" 

"Nwo."

"I know someone who doesn't like it, either."

***  
**27 years ago**

When Baekhyun was five years old, he loved drawing and coloring. 

He always had his drawing book and crayons with him wherever he went to. At home, he would always be seen with it, tucked away in his own little world, scribbling stick figures and whatnots. Little Hyun preferred drawing and coloring more than playing with toys and other children. He was happy and content with only the company of his paper and his trusted crayons. 

He was a quiet, timid boy even at school. The other kids at his preschool always looked at him like he was different, all because he barely talked unless being spoken to and had never socialized with other kids his age. They refused to include him during playtime and worse, they made fun of his drawings. He had a hard time making friends because of this.

Once, there was this big kid twice his size who tore his drawing book apart page by page and vandalized his drawings with mindless scrawls. Hyun had fought hard not to cry, he only had his drawings with him, and now, they were gone too. 

That only made Hyun more distant and aloof. The bullies were mean to him so he would always stay in a far corner and away from the other kids. Little Hyun kept mostly to himself, but that didn't stop him from continuing what he loved doing. 

Hyun loved their Art subject the most and Art was his favorite class. He could showcase his ability and love for drawing during this period and he could not be any happier. He was the happiest whenever he received 5 gold star stamps for his artworks. 

One day, their teacher asked his class to color a basket of fruits accordingly. Little Hyun did the activity diligently, too absorbed in bringing color to the lifeless outline of assorted fruits on his paper; coloring the apples with a red crayon, strawberries with pink, and the grapes with purple. Hyun was enjoying it so much he was humming while he was at it.

Then there were the mangoes. He knew mangoes, and mangoes were supposed to be yellow, like the color of the bright sun and the pretty sunflowers outside in the garden. Yellow mangoes were sweet and delicious, and he had always liked the taste of one. Yellow, coincidentally, was his favorite color, too. Yellow meant bright, joy, and warmth for Hyun. Yellow meant sunshine. He was always happy when he saw a yellow-colored object.

So Hyun searched for his yellow crayon. He searched and searched but he couldn't find it, not inside its crayon box, not in his pencil case, and neither in his school bag. Little Hyun felt helpless and started crying, his favorite crayon was missing and his mangoes were still lifeless and dull, the only one left colorless in his basket of fruits. 

He sobbed quietly so as not to alert the teacher and his classmates, he cried alone, head ducked down trying to muffle his tiny whimpers. Until he felt a light tap at his shoulder. Little Hyun looked to his back and saw a little boy in a yellow bucket hat, smiling widely at him, his already chubby cheeks plumping more. He was the new classmate their teacher introduced earlier that week. 

"Don't cry. Here," the little boy said, offering his own yellow crayon to him. 

Little Hyun dried his tears, sniffing, "But how about you?" 

The boy only smiled at him cheekily, little dimples showing, and continued with his own activity. 

When the teacher collected their papers later that day, she was rather surprised by the boy's choice of color, so she asked him in front of the whole class, "Loey, why did you decide to color your mangoes with green? Did you know that green mangoes are sour?" 

Loey nodded, scowling, "Yes, teacher. I don't like green mangoes."

"Then why?" 

"Because Hyunnie was crying. I don't like seeing Hyunnie cry. I will eat green mangoes for him so he won't cry ever again."

Little Hyun found his very first friend that day, someone he liked more than drawing and crayons. 

Growing up, Hyun and Loey became the very best of friends, joined to the hip and inseparable. 

Hyun still loved drawing and coloring, but now he had more things that he enjoyed, all because of Loey. He found building sandcastles with Loey at the playground's sandbox was as much fun as drawing when they were five.

That riding bicycles without training wheels for the very first time was dangerous when they were six. (And the matching scars on their knees and legs a living proof of it.)

That the lighthouse near Loey's house was the perfect spot for stargazing so they could take in the breathtaking view of the twinkling stars more clearly at night when they were seven. (But Hyun would argue, nothing would ever beat the glimmer in Loey's eyes, even the shining stars during their stargazing nights were put to shame.)

That powdered doughnuts were the best thing to ever happen in this world, particularly the ones baked by that local bakery near Hyun’s house when they were eight. (Loey loved the one with the chocolate filling while Hyun liked the strawberry one.) 

He enjoyed almost anything, as long as it was with Loey. 

Loey made it easier for him to meet some other friends too. He was always so cheerful and all the other kids at their elementary school liked him for he was so fun to play with. But Hyun thought, no one would like him as much as he did. He liked Loey so much, he liked him the best. They were each other's best friends. 

Wherever they went and whatever they did, they were always together. They played together at their old preschool's playground, they ate and shared their food with each other during lunchtime, they always helped each other with school activities and lessons, too. Even after school, Loey would sometimes invite Hyun over to his house to show him his toy collection and play some more. 

Hyun’s parents never minded, and so was Loey's sister, Yoora. Loey had been practically raised by his sister because their parents were mostly out of the country managing their business overseas. 

The Parks were a bigshot in a number of industries—textile fashion, aviation, advertising, real estate, just to name a few. So it was really no brainer that a Park child had seen and eaten with their plethora of butlers and nannies more times than they could count than be at hair's length with their actual parents. 

The only times they would see them though, was when Christmas and their birthdays came around. And more often than not, that only entailed a night out at some exclusive fancy 5-star restaurant and an expensive gift to make-up for all those months that they were gone. An hour or two tops would suffice before they were out of their hairs again, until the following year rolled around and the cycle repeated. 

Loey didn't have a normal family, what he had was a once-in-a-year relationship with his parents, a sister playing the role his parents failed to do, and a big empty mansion that had seen more refurbishments and strangers milling about than its actual occupants.

His childhood growing up was pretty much at stake by this unconventional set-up, so Hyun's constant presence in his life made Yoora relieved and all the more thankful. Hyun had been the only semblance of normalcy in his little brother's life, a playmate, a brother, a best friend, all in one. 

So Yoora made it her life's mission; hellbent on keeping it that way and protecting what precious friendship blossomed between them over the years, until such time when she was no longer able to. 

Loey had his first heartbreak at 12 years old.

He had run away from home with only one place in mind, one name on the tip of his tongue. 

Hyun was surprised to see his best friend knocking at their door a little past dinner, his beautiful face marred with endless, ugly tears and mixing with the snot pooling on his philtrum, chest heaving painfully as he asked his best friend of seven years, 

"You're not gonna leave me, are you?" 

Hyun was dumbfounded, almost close to guffawing, but painstakingly restrained himself at the last minute when Loey's cries seemed to have only gotten louder due to his pregnant silence and oblivious stares. 

Wordlessly, Hyun had taken his hand and dragged him towards the direction of their old preschool's playground, just a couple of blocks down the road from their street. Hyun cradled his hand tenderly as they walked in complete silence, the moon lighting their way and following every step they took. 

Loey had long since stopped from bawling his eyes out, the lovely choir of cicadas and a couple of tiny feet crunching on fallen dried leaves the only sound amidst the silent night. 

When they had reached their destination, Hyun forcefully made his friend sit on one of the swings and took the one beside it. 

"Okay, why are you crying?" Hyun asked, kicking a stray pebble near his foot. 

"Noona is getting married."

The older boy scoffed, he had never wanted to smack someone on the head this bad. "Then why are you crying? Shouldn't you be happy your sister found someone she loves?" 

"She is going to leave me and be with his husband when she gets married. She will leave like our parents did. They all leave," Loey whined petulantly, stomping his feet at the sand-covered ground. Billows of smoke and sand debris flew in the air, making the pouting boy cough and wheeze in quick successions. 

Hyun chortled at his poor friend's state. 

"You're laughing at my misery, Hyunnie." Loey pouted even more. 

"Did she tell you all that? Yoora noona did?" 

Loey averted his eyes, his brown loafers looked a lot more interesting than his best friend right now. Hyun nudged his shin with his foot. 

The boy only mumbled in a meek, almost inaudible voice, "No."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. She's only getting married, it doesn't mean she's gonna love you any less. Do you want your noona to be happy?"

"Of course."

"Then let her be happy. I'm sure her boyfriend makes her happy. And according to that show my mom watches on TV, this one actor said he's going to marry this other actor because he makes him happy and wouldn't want to leave his side. If that is what marriage is, then she would be just fine, right?" 

Hyun glanced at his friend, lips tugging in an encouraging smile at the younger who still had his lower lip jutted out, sulking. Hyun wanted Loey to smile again, the same smile that he had grown to love over the years.

"Besides, I'm still here. I'm never gonna leave you."

That did the trick almost immediately, the beginnings of a shy smile pulling at the corners of his best friend's lips. His left dimple appeared more prominent whenever he smiled and Hyun would love for him to smile forever so he could stare at it as long as he wanted to. 

"Remember when you said you'd eat green mangoes so I won't have to cry ever again? Well then, I'd marry you so I won't have to leave your side ever again," Hyun joked and that made Loey instantly double over with laughter, clutching at his stomach as he rode the high of his euphoric laughs. The mirthful sounds his best friend was making was music to Hyun’s ears.

"There it is," Hyun delightfully sing-songs, poking the hollow dip of his friend's dimple repeatedly. 

"You're silly, Hyunnie."

Hyun sagged in relief. His Loey was back. 

They held each other’s hand as they swung back and forth, two pairs of small feet dangling in the air, old rusty hinges squeaking audibly with every sway of the metallic seats. 

Loey shared more details of his sister’s upcoming wedding as Hyun listened attentively, the two best friends mirroring each other’s elated grins and wonder-filled eyes.

Needless to say, when Hyun came back to his house later that evening, he received an earful for wandering outside at the dead of the night and making his parents worry to death for leaving unannounced. But Hyun didn't mind a little scolding because he was able to make Loey smile again. 

It was all worth it.

When Loey came knocking at his door the very next day, his friend was no longer crying but the smile he greeted Hyun with didn’t quite reach his eye. 

That wasn’t Loey’s smile. It was devoid of everything that Hyun loved. It appeared more restrained, like he was holding himself back, like he was hiding something. 

His dimple was barely there, he looked fidgety and out of sorts, and there wasn't that telltale spark in his eyes that told Hyun he was genuinely happy about seeing him. Loey was an open book. He could easily tell when the latter was not feeling himself. This wasn't his best friend before him. 

When Hyun had asked what was wrong, his friend only shrugged and proceeded to set-up the gaming console that he had brought with him so they could save Princess Peach as Mario and Luigi. First one to run out of lives would have to wash the dishes after they'd eaten what Mrs. Byun had prepared. 

Hyun hadn't pushed any further. In the past seven years that they had known each other, Loey would always be the first one to tell him when something was wrong. 

They had confided to each other practically anything and everything under the sun, including the most ludicrous of things—like how they both believed in alien invasion and that it was only a matter of time before their race would take over humanity; how they argued whether it was the chicken or the egg that came first; how they both liked Mrs. Hwang, their P.E. teacher for always assigning them as each other's stretching buddy; and how Loey made Hyun discover that he didn't like cucumbers at all after his friend took a secret bite of his lunch sandwich, the former laughing at the latter's retching, miserable state.

They found solace just by being with each other, bits and pieces of their mind, heart and soul poured and shared between joys, laughs, friendly jabs, and tears. Loey would tell him when he was ready, he would wait for him to open up. Hyun hoped he would. 

It took a week for him to realize what was different about his friend’s behavior and aura. He had become extra clingy and needier than usual—trailing behind him wherever he went, their after-school hang-outs had gotten more and more frequent and Loey insisting a sleepover almost every night. 

Hyun couldn't ever resist the puppy eyes, finding himself giving in at the very first sign of an incoming pout. Besides, Hyun's bed could still accommodate one more person and it would be nice to sleep with someone for a change. He was an only child. 

His parents didn't mind, too. Loey's constant presence in their house and at their son's life felt a lot like second nature by now. And Hyun, more often than not, would find them asking about his whereabouts and wellbeing rather than their own child. He would be offended if it weren’t for the fact that Loey was as good as a legitimate, blood brother by now. 

"A penny for your thoughts?" Loey had asked, turning to his side to look at him. They were at Hyun's bed, getting ready to sleep on their fifth consecutive sleepover at his house. 

Hyun had his arms crossed behind his head as a make-shift pillow and stared at the ceiling, whispering against the quiet of the night. "Nothing much. I was just wondering if an alien spaceship had ever landed in our backyard while I was asleep."

"That would be too anticlimactic." 

"I know, right? I would want to be awake when they come here. So I could tell them how my best friend here hogs all the blanket to himself." 

"Not fair," Loey harrumphed, nudging his friend lightly at the shin under the covers, making Hyun giggle, "Scooch over here so we could both fit in. You were too far away."

Hyun did instinctively, turning to his side as well so they were face to face. 

"Closer." 

Hyun inched closer, he could practically feel Loey's exhales ghosting across his face at their close proximity, their noses just mere centimeters away. 

He fixed the blanket so it could cover them both from the chest and below. Loey’s height was starting to spike up, his feet dangling outside the cover a proof of his gradual growth. He would totally outgrow Hyun at this rate, height-wise. 

“You’re pretty,” Loey had mumbled out of the blue, barely hanging awake and blinking tiredly, “Good night, Hyunnie. Sweet dreams.”

Hyun watched as Loey's eyelids slowly fluttered shut, watched as his breaths evened out with the slow rise and dip of his chest, his long pretty lashes hovering just above his cheekbones, and Hyun couldn't help but touch.

As he gingerly ran the pad of his finger against black, thin tendrils, Hyun felt something inside his stomach churning uncomfortably. But he just dismissed the weird feeling as this recurring midnight hunger he always had at this time of the night. He should've eaten more at dinner. He couldn’t wake Loey up either so they could eat his hidden stash of snacks under his bed. His friend had just fallen asleep. 

As he felt himself slowly dipping under the calm, quiet waters of slumber, Hyun whispered against the stillness of the night and his best friend’s light snores, "You’re prettier, Loey. Good night." 

His best friend's peaceful, handsome face was the last thing he saw before he totally succumbed to sleep.

It was Yoora noona who picked Loey up from his house the next morning.

It was the weekend and it was also her day-off so she took them out to the mall to shop and stroll. When Loey was busy playing and shooting hoops inside the indoor arcade, Yoora took the opportunity to be alone with Hyun and to check on him, the two of them sitting by the bench outside the arcade. 

"How was school, Hyun?" she asked amicably, crossing one leg above the other and leaning her body slightly towards him. 

"It was okay, noona. Junior high school felt like a whole new world. Loey and I were still adjusting. We're at different classes now and he's sulkier because of it."

Yoora chuckled as she opened her purse, pulling out a black letter envelope with gold linings on its flap. Hyun eyed it curiously, making out what seemed to be an elegant calligraphy of his name in gold ink as he took shy, little peeks.

"This is for you." She handed him the envelope and smiled brightly. It was an invitation. 

"I would like you to come to my wedding. My fiance and I would be so happy to have you there and celebrate with us. And I’m sure my little brother would be, too. He was too shy to give this to you himself and asked me to do it."

"That guy, I don't know what he is still being so shy for. It’s not like we’re strangers," Hyun clicked his tongue as he looked at the glass window in front of him disapprovingly. Loey was on fire, he just set a new personal high score. 

"Maybe he was too shy to ask you to be his date?"

He whipped his head back towards Yoora's direction, spluttering, "W-wha-t noona—" 

Hyun felt the heat rising to his cheeks. Now that was absurd, why would Loey want for him to be his date? They were only friends, _best of friends_ , why would he want—

His internal monologue was cut off by Yoora's amused laughs. 

"I'm joking, Hyunnie. You are so cute, you should see your face," Yoora cooed at him, pinching and squeezing his cheeks together, "You guys are still so young to be thinking about that."

 _No one is thinking about that_. 

No one was thinking about dating Loey aside from her. Why would he think of dating his best friend? That's just weird. He had known Loey all his childhood life as a friend and nothing more. 

_Dating Loey_ …Hyun shuddered. That felt all levels of crazy. Plus his stupid stomach was doing its weird churning thingy again, he just ate lunch for crying out loud. Why was he hungry again? Hyun cried inwardly. 

His cheeks felt hot and he was sure he was red as a tomato now. He tapped his cheeks with the back of his hands, trying to cool it down. 

"What are you guys up to?" 

Hyun flinched at the sudden voice as he hadn’t noticed Loey sneaking up at his side, too busy trying not to think of him. _Or of dating him,_ apparently _._

"Why are you so red? Are you okay, Hyun?" Loey faced his sniggering sister from the other side, “Noona, what did you say to him?”

“Nothing, I just gave his invitation.” 

Loey regarded her suspiciously, eyes turning into slits, before he turned to his best friend again. “So, will you come?”

Hyun heaved a long sigh, looking back and forth between the two siblings, who were in turn, staring back at him expectantly. 

“S-sure, why n-not,” he stammered, chuckling nervously as he looked anywhere but Loey’s eyes.

Yoora stood up and winded each of her arms around the two boys’ long limbs, with her in the middle, dragging them excitedly towards a nearby boutique, “Okay, then! Let’s shop for clothes! It’s a formal event so I need you boys to look as dashing as ever with your custom-fit tuxedos, all right?”

When it was time to go home, they dropped Hyun off at his house, the latter carrying loads of designer paper bags in both hands. Yoora had gotten a little too excited, buying everything she thought would look cute on him and in pairs, so he and Loey would have matching clothes. He would most likely not going to wear these expensive clothes for fear of staining them with spilled coffee or food. 

Yoora saw him out to the gates while Loey stayed inside the car begrudgingly. She had wanted some alone time with Hyun again. When they reached his door, Yoora hugged him as tightly as she could. 

"Thank you for agreeing on coming to my wedding. And for today as well. I hope you had fun." She caressed his cheek lovingly with an open palm. "I can't thank you enough for taking care of my Loey."

"Noona…"

"I know it must be difficult to be apart after all these years, but I trust you guys could work around this new set-up. I never wanted to be apart from you, either, but you still have your life ahead of you. I couldn't possibly ask you to come with us. That would be too selfish of me, would it not? Your life is here. Your parents are here."

"What? I don't understand noona..."

He was so confused. _What was happening?_

"Did Loey not tell you? My fiance and I are moving to Seoul after the wedding."

"Oh. Congratulations, then?"

Hyun hugged her immediately, looping his arms around her lithe waist, genuinely excited for the soon to be married couple. Loey's sister deserved to be happy and to start her married life anew, in a city with a new environment and new people. He would definitely miss her. Yoora had been a part of his life as much as Loey did. 

But something still didn't feel right, like he was missing something important, but he couldn’t figure out what. His gut told him it didn't end there. Hyun dismissed the thought. He had to focus on the good news. Focus on the now.

He pulled back from the hug and looked at Yoora in the eye, smiling giddily while he held her hands, "I'm so happy for you, noona."

Yoora beamed at him gratefully. "I know. I'm still kind of scared, but I'm mostly excited. I'm really going to miss you, Hyunnie. I'm sure Loey, too."

"What?"  
  
Hyun looked at her like she had grown a second head, baffled and partly terrified. He couldn’t understand anything. Why would Loey miss him? He was just right there in the car. 

"You didn't know? He's coming with us. Loey is moving to Seoul, too."

At that moment, Hyun felt like he was doused with a tub of freezing, icy cold water, left there soaked to the core, shivering and alone. He felt numb, frozen in place, he couldn't move a finger. He couldn't even breathe properly. _What did she just say…_

Hyun repeated her words in his head, again and again. 

_Loey was going away. Loey was moving across towns._

How was he supposed to get through every day without his best friend by his side? How could he not tell him this? 

"Hyun, did Loey not tell you about this?" 

A single tear managed to escape Hyun’s brimming eyes, and it was enough for an answer. He didn’t know that he had been crying until he felt the wet patch on his cheek. 

At age 12, Hyun had his first heartbreak, too. 

Hyun had not seen his best friend for three days.

Loey didn’t go to school, he didn’t own a phone so he couldn’t call or send a message, even when he went to their ginormous house, he was only greeted by Mr. Choi, his personal butler, saying he was not taking any visitors at the moment. 

Hyun was pissed at him, furious even, for keeping this whole moving into Seoul thing from him. Didn't he at least deserve to know if his best friend was leaving? Was seven years of friendship all for naught? He is leaving in a month and he wouldn't even talk to him. He was pissed at Loey but mostly, he was just really tired and worried sick.

_"...Why are you shutting me out? Did I do something wrong? At least tell me. Before you leave. Please, Loey…"_

Hyun pressed the send button. It was his fifth voice message of the day. He waited for a couple more minutes, expecting any kind of reply, but Loey still remained elusive. 

Hyun turned his lamp off and decided to hit the hay. Tomorrow, he would try again. If Hyun had to drag him out of that big mansion then so be it. 

Just as he was starting to drift off, Hyun jolted awake when heard a loud thump at his window, like someone just threw a hard object at it and almost shattered the glass panels.

He got off the bed quickly and checked for any damage, fortunately, there were none, the window panes were still intact and no signs of cracks. He pushed the lower sash upward to look for the culprit. 

"Psst, down here."

Hyun heard a whisper followed by a whistle below his window, and as he ducked down and peeked his head out, he nearly bumped against the sash's edge after he did a double-take at the owner of the voice.

"Loey? What are you doing here? It's so late why are you—we can talk tomorrow and—" 

"Let's go to the playground!"

"What?"

"Come down now and hurry!" 

Before Hyun could even protest, Loey was already skipping towards their front door and waiting for him to come down. 

Hyun could only shake his head as he donned a hoodie above his pajama top, muttering curses at how his best friend was so stupid to show up this late at night when it's freezing cold out there and how he was still so pissed at him for ignoring him for three straight days. 

Hyun pulled an extra hoodie from his closet, he noticed Loey wasn't wearing one, before closing the door to his room as quietly as he could so as not to alert his sleeping parents in the next room. 

Hyun tiptoed on his way down the stairs and to the main door as stealthily as he could. He opened the door to the sight of his best friend shivering down to the bones, teeth chattering and curled in on himself, but he still managed to welcome Hyun with his shit-eating grin.

"H-hi." 

"You're dumb." Hyun shoved the hoodie to his face, clearly annoyed, and walked past him towards the direction of the playground. 

No one talked during the short duration of their trek, the sound of ragged exhales and the pitter-patter of shoes down the rough pavement filled in the silence of the night. Loey was trailing behind him as he led the way. 

When they reached the playground, Hyun made a beeline towards the swings and immediately sat on one, shuddering the moment his thinly-clothed bum touched the cold, hard metal seat. It was so damn cold. 

Loey skipped towards him and stopped right in front of his swing, standing and peering down at him. Hyun craned his neck to meet his eyes, waiting for him to start talking. 

"I know you're mad right now but hear me out first."

Hyun only crossed his arms in front of his chest, not breaking eye contact. 

"I was busy the last three days making these," Loey took something out of his pants' back pocket and opened his palm up with two colorful beaded friendship bracelets on it, "This is for you."

Looking at it closely, Hyun could make out their names in tiny lettered-blocks in between colorful beads in each bracelet.

 _LOEY_ and _HYUN_ , the bracelets read. 

Hyun was about to pick up the one with his name on it, but Loey tutted at him. 

"Not that one. You get the LOEY."

"Why don't I get my own name?"

"Because I say so. That is mine and this"—Loey picked the bracelet of his own name, grabbed his friend's arm, and slipped it on his wrist—"is yours. So every time you look at it you’d see my name. So you'd remember me. Especially when I'm not around."

Loey cleared his throat and let go of his hand. For the briefest of moments, Hyun thought he heard a slight waver to his voice. Loey’s eyes were too much for him to look at, even in partial darkness with only the light of the moon shining down upon them. He stared at the bracelet on his wrist instead, at the upside-down letters of his best friend's name. 

Loey was leaving. And this bracelet just made everything official. Hyun wanted to cry but he couldn't bring himself to be weak in front of him. They were not preschoolers anymore. He couldn't just cry and expect Loey to make it better. 

"Were you even planning on telling me?" 

"I do, of course I do." Loey hurriedly went on one knee before him, looking up at Hyun with so much conviction. "You're my best friend, of course I wanted you to know. I was preparing for it, you see. I was thinking of a parting gift all this time before my sister beat me to it."

Loey held his hand and ran his fingers against the assorted beads and lettered blocks, "I made these with the help of my friend Luhan, you remember him? The kid I told you who always steals my toys?" 

Hyun only nodded. Luhan’s parents were a close family friend to the Parks. He had seen him once, but only from afar. Hyun thought he looked really pretty.

"He was here for a vacation and I was struggling to make these little beads to cooperate but, thankfully he was there to help. I made several of these because I wasn't sure what you would like and...why it took me days to finish. These are the ones that came out the best."

Loey slipped on the other bracelet and stood up, dusting his sand-stained pants as he went to sit on the swing beside him. He swung slowly, looking straight ahead at the dark shadows the thicket of trees were casting down the ground. 

"Noona made me choose whether I wanted to stay behind or move in with them. I told her I wanted to stay."

Hyun pushed his body backward to get his swing moving, slowly and in time with Loey’s sways. They were like two pendulums perfectly in sync, the swings were creaking loudly.

“Then why?”

“I was firm on my decision to stay until I overheard them fighting one night, noona and her fiance. Noona said she wouldn’t leave without me, said she didn’t want me to be alone in that big house with just the staff, without a real family. Her fiance’s new job placement was in Seoul and he could not _not go_ either _._ So it all came down to me.” Loey let out a bitter laugh. “I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to be in someplace where you’re not in there. I am happy here.”

Loey heaved a long sigh. “But I also don’t want to be the reason my sister and her husband start their marriage away from each other. I couldn’t do that to another family. Noona is pregnant. She hasn't told me yet but I overheard. She’s about to have a family of her own. I don’t know what to do, Hyun. I really don’t.”

Hyun understood it all now. 

“I think you do,” Hyun stopped his seat from moving and brought his bracelet arm forward, shaking his wrist.

“I purposely avoided you so I could think on my own, but all those three days have done is for me to miss you more. I keep thinking of you. I don’t even know if I could last a week without you.”

Loey’s swing gradually slowed down until it stopped moving on its own.

“You can. And you will,” Hyun held his friend’s dangling hand from the side, squeezing, “for your sister.”

He mustered an encouraging smile towards the latter, despite his heart shattering into tiny million pieces, his nose burning from the pain of trying to hold back his tears. Loey had made his decision when he gave him the bracelet, and he had to respect that. 

But it didn’t make it hurt any less.

“You could always visit me, or I could visit you. Seoul is what, 3-4 hours away? It’s not the end of the world yet. We could make this work,” Hyun blinked back the tears that had started to well under his eyes, but a few still managed to escape, “Damn, is it raining? Why is my hoodie wet.”

Hyun tried to laugh through the pain and the tears, his jaw trembling uncontrollably. But what only came out were garbled noises. He thought he was ready. He thought about it hard for three days.

Before he knew it, Loey was standing right in front of him and he was not faring any better, if the red-rimmed eyes were any indication. Hyun stood up and immediately folded his body against his best friend, the latter engulfing him in a warm big hug in return. 

They cried together against the warmth of each other, whispering reassurances and empty promises they weren’t sure they would be able to keep. The future was unpredictable and scary, a lot could happen in the months or years that they would be apart. 

But right now, right at this moment, they only knew one thing. 

Hyun tightened his arms around Loey, sniffing, “I will miss you so much, you big oaf.”

Loey pressed a chaste kiss against his temple, muttering, “I will miss you too, Hyunnie. Don’t go around eating powdered doughnuts without me.”

“Then you have to come here often or I’ll eat everything out of spite.”

Loey chuckled, squeezing him tightly and ruffling his black locks, “You’re silly, Hyunnie. We’re going to be fine.”

Hyun desperately hoped they would.


	3. Good Night

“We met in the playground every week after that. Loey would travel back to our town, sometimes with Auntie Yoora, she’s Loey's sister, and her baby boy in tow. And then we would play, chit-chat, and hang-out together like we used to,” Baekhyun says to the twins who are still eagerly listening to him, perched comfortably on each side of his chest while sucking on their little thumbs. 

He continues to pat their bums gently to lull them to sleep.

“But you see, we were also growing older, and Loey got busier and busier. Our weekly meet-ups became less and less, then the weekly became monthly, then the monthly became yearly. Until one day, when I was 15 years old,” Baekhyun brings one finger up on one hand, then all his five fingers on the other, “Loey didn’t show up. But I still waited. I waited and waited. I waited every day, every month, every year for him to come. I always waited for him by the playground every night. But Loey just stopped coming.”

The twins visibly got sad after telling them that part of the story, doe-eyed and pouting. Sera pops her thumb out of her mouth, asking, “Loyi why?”

“Hm,” Baekhyun purses his lips in thought, thinking of a way that would make this easier for them to understand, “Loey got—”

Just then, the door to their room creaks open, Chanyeol’s head peeking from the space it created. When he sees that the twins are still wide awake, he enters the room and strides towards the bed.

“You guys are tough huh, still not sleepy?”

“Nwo.”

Sejoo and Sera let out high-pitch giggles as Chanyeol blows raspberries on their tummies and tickles them on the sides. He carries his daughter in his arms and rounds the bed to resume his earlier position. He settles Sera on his lap as he makes himself comfortable. 

“That took so long, is that Ten? Is he okay?” Baekhyun asks, worries etched on his face as he holds the squirming boy on his lap steady. Sejoo is reaching for his Daddy on the other side so he drops him back down to the bed. The boy immediately crawls towards Chanyeol and hops on his lap beside his sister.

“Yeah, that was Ten, and he’s fine,” Chanyeol assures, catching his son’s arms as he keeps on clawing at his shirt while Sera is wriggling around on his lap. “He got caught up in heavy traffic, and his phone battery’s dead so he wasn’t able to inform us right away. I showed him to our guest room so he could crash for tonight, had a little chit-chat, and then here I am.” 

Chanyeol looks down and coos at the squirming babies on his lap, “Where were you guys with the book? What did I miss—ow!” 

He yelps in pain when Sera accidentally hits his face with the tail of her tiger onesie after wiggling too much and jumping up and down his lap. Sejoo continues on clawing at his shirt, playing with the buttons and trying to pop them open one by one.

“Are they mad at me? What did I do?”

Baekhyun lets out a guttural laugh, winking at the twins. He grabs the scrapbook from the nightstand and opens it to where they left off. 

“Let’s settle down now kids, Dada’s going to continue the story.” 

Chanyeol loops his arms around their waists to lock them in place and to keep them from moving around. The twins quietly sit on his lap and lean their heads against their Daddy’s sturdy chest, waiting for Baekhyun to start. Chanyeol kisses the crown of their heads, rewarding their obedience with a ‘ _good boy’_ and ‘ _good girl’_ whispered affectionately. 

Baekhyun turns to his side and shows them a page where a row of lopsided polaroid photos are randomly pasted. He points to the first one at the top left corner of the page and reads the caption underneath it.

“ _First check-up._ ” Baekhyun’s eyes follow the little arrow beneath the polaroid photo pointing to a little commentary in Chanyeol’s obvious handwriting. “ _Baekhyun was pissed because we were late in our first doctor’s appointment._ ”

It’s a photo of Baekhyun in a hospital gown, lying on the table while the doctor performs his ultrasound. 

“I was mad here? And why were we late again?” he asks as he studies the photo’s tiniest of details. 

It was Chanyeol who took the photo that day. Baekhyun’s hand can be seen holding, _or gripping_ Chanyeol’s hand _hard_ as he looks ahead at the monitor. 

Chanyeol looks down at his kids as they, in turn, stare up at his upside-down face. 

“Your Dada is 4 weeks pregnant in that photo, that’s you guys on the monitor right there.” It can barely be seen but Chanyeol points to it anyway. “That means you were 4 weeks old. You’re still so tiny, you’re about the size of an apple seed, like this,” Chanyeol pinches his thumb and forefinger together in an attempt to demonstrate. “We didn’t know you guys were growing inside Dada’s tummy for a month now and when we found out, your Dada was so so happy he made love to me all night long.”

“I wuv Daddy, too,” Sera says as she stands up on her tippy toes and kisses him on the cheek. Sejoo follows suit and pecks him on the other side. Chanyeol chuckles at his children’s pure, unadulterated reactions and at the affronted look on Baekhyun’s face, mouth ajar and eyes twitching.

“Your Dada was blaming me after we both woke up late the next day for our first doctor’s appointment, but in all honesty, it was really because of your Dada’s H-O-R-N-Y A-S-S,” Chanyeol spells the last two words letter by letter to protect his babies’ innocent minds.

“Oh my god, stop! I remember now.” Baekhyun hits him in the arm, hiding his face in his palms and groaning in embarrassment. “It was still your fault. You made us late.”

“I barely did anything that night. I just laid there while you did all the work,” Chanyeol defenses, lips curling mischievously as he remembers that wild night vividly in his memory. He dives down his husband’s ear and in a breathless, sultry whisper, “You didn’t even let me touch you. You were one hot horny pregnant man that night.”

Before Chanyeol pulls back, he bites at Baekhyun’s ear softly, the latter visibly quivering at the touch. Baekhyun clears his throat audibly and fixes the lapels of his otherwise perfectly fine robe, smirking. “Maybe we can, you know, tonight—”

The two parents suddenly hear a happy squeal below them, breaking their close contact in an instant. And as they look at the source, Sera is tapping excitedly at a particular photo from the scrapbook, screaming, “Dada wonut!”

Baekhyun smiles as he takes a peek at the polaroid Sera is referring to. It was an image of him inside of their car at four in the morning, wolfing down a round powdery doughnut, grinning widely at the camera with crumbs and white powder sticking on the corners of his lips. On his lap was an empty pink carton box of what used to contain 12 pieces of that powdery sweet confection.

Baekhyun reads the caption written below, _“Cravings #1: Powdered Doughnuts,”_ then he reads Chanyeol’s note directly below it, _“Drove for 3 hours back to our hometown just for these. But it was all worth it. Just look at that gorgeous smile. But don’t stare too long or you’ll melt...”_

But it was Baekhyun’s heart that melted all over again at the fond memory of that night, how he woke up crying in the middle of his sleep, suddenly craving for their childhood comfort food. But it was too far away, a 3-hour drive back to their hometown where it was only available. He couldn’t stop crying and begging for Chanyeol to get him some. 

The taller panicked at the initial sight of his wailing 8-week pregnant husband, but he didn’t need to think twice. Chanyeol started their car for this impromptu midnight road trip, it was one o’clock in the morning. Baekhyun was in the passenger seat, sobbing quietly as Chanyeol drove as fast as he could, but still cautious as ever, whispering reassuring promises as he gripped his husband’s hand with his non-driving one. 

They reached their hometown in time when the bakery was just about to start business, the owner surprised to see his two familiar customers at the crack of dawn, all grown-up and about to have their own baby. 

Baekhyun happily ate a box on his own, grinning widely as he licked his lips and fingers clean. Chanyeol never felt as much satisfaction as seeing his pregnant husband having his cravings fulfilled, he couldn’t help but take a snap of this precious moment. Thankfully, he always got his polaroid camera in his bag. 

They took 4 more boxes of the powdered doughnuts with them on their way back to Seoul, another 3-hour drive back to the city. 

Baekhyun is shaken awake from his stupor by Sejoo grabbing at his robe insistently while looking at him with big doe eyes. The little boy is pointing at his photo, seemingly asking for a powdered doughnut as well. Chanyeol carries his son to his arms.

“The doughnuts are too far-away Sejoo-ya, we can’t go right now. Joojoo needs to sleep,” Chanyeol explains patiently and the little boy nods in understanding. 

“Tomowow?”

“We’ll try, baby. If Daddy is not busy tomorrow, we all could go,” Baekhyun supplies helpfully, smiling at his son. Sejoo only nods at him and crawls back to his lap. 

Sera has successfully flipped the scrapbook’s page on her own, scrutinizing the colorful photos in front of her. She recognizes one face in particular and points to it, “Uncle Wuhan.”

“That’s right, baby girl. That’s Uncle Luhan. You remember Uncle Luhan?” 

Sera gives her Dada a thumbs up and a nod, and that instantly made Baekhyun smile. That was something that she learned from her uncle when they met him on their second birthday.

In the photo that Sera is pointing at, the three of them, Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and Luhan, were all looking at the camera, wide grins plastered on their faces while they held cute baby clothes in their hands. It was from that time when Luhan went baby shopping with them. 

Baekhyun had only gotten past his first trimester but was already worrying about how utterly unprepared they were, how there was not a single baby product around their house. Baekhyun’s anxiety kicked in, suddenly afraid of pre-term labor and of the babies dying early in their arms at the lack of baby supplies. They didn’t have baby clothes with them nor all the other basic baby care necessities like diapers, baby blankets, cribs, and feeding bottles. The house wasn’t even baby-proofed yet.

It was one of the few times when Baekhyun overthought, and to his utter luck, compounded with the hormonal mood swings, Chanyeol became the poor punching bag of his husband’s wrath and fury. Baekhyun was so mad he started hurling pillows and blankets at his husband's general direction that morning after he got up on the wrong side of the bed. 

So Chanyeol did the most sensible thing to do at that moment, called his friend Luhan to take him to stroll—but not shop, it was still too early, Chanyeol persistently reminded—at the mall and have him cool-off and come back as the warm, calm husband again.

But Baekhyun only cried when Chanyeol adamantly refused to go with them. No one could blame him though, he still wanted to keep his head intact and his body in one piece. In the end, Baekhyun’s shiny eyes and jutted lips won the battle of tug of war. Chanyeol kept his distance as Luhan and his hormonal pregnant husband strolled around the baby section, gushing over cute baby shirts and pajamas. 

At the end of the day, Chanyeol relented and allowed him to buy baby clothes of his liking and choice, but only just a pair and nothing more. Baekhyun was relatively happy that day after getting his own way and made it up to his husband with a passionate round of hot, steamy shower sex much later that the taller was oh so craving and grateful for.

As memories of Luhan start flitting inside Baekhyun’s head, he couldn’t help but wonder, would things be different had he not knocked at Chanyeol’s door that one fateful midnight complaining about his loud hammerings? Would they still end up together when Chanyeol already had someone else by his side?

Baekhyun watches idly as the twins have already taken hostage of the scrapbook and have moved towards the middle of the bed, fumbling around the book excitedly, flipping pages and curiously gawking at each polaroid, pointing and babbling incoherently amongst themselves like they’re in the middle of an important discussion. 

Longingly, Baekhyun smiles.

Would he still have these two wonderful angels if he hadn’t told the truth?

Chanyeol lightly knocks his head on Baekhyun’s own. “What are you thinking?”

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about me,” the smaller gives him a reassuring smile, “I’m just really thinking— _feeling_ , how extremely grateful and happy I am right now that I have you guys with me.”

Chanyeol finds his husband's hand and intertwines their fingers together. “We’re happy too that we have you by our side, my sweet, sweet husband and the bearer of my children. Come here.”

He pulls Baekhyun closer to his body until they’re flushed together, back against his chest, and hugs him from behind. He winds his long legs around his husband’s outstretched ones, effectively trapping the smaller inside his personal space. 

Baekhyun sags under his hold, leaning back as he gradually feels the day’s activities and hours upon hours of playtime weighing down his body like a heavy anchor. His arms and legs ache and feel sore all over. 

This wasn’t exactly how he thought his limbs were going to hurt tonight. He had hoped for something else entirely, something that resembled the pain that came with intense pleasure. Sighing regretfully, Baekhyun closes his eyes. He never got to know the surprise that Chanyeol prepared for him today.

He shifts slightly to the side and slots his head at the corner where Chanyeol’s neck and shoulder meets. Baekhyun nuzzles his neck, inhaling the distinct aroma of his husband’s perfume. He smells of cool spices and fresh lemons, minty and citrusy, but not too overpowering and sweet. It awfully feels like he is walking down a sandy beach under the summer sun in his straw hat and bare feet, sipping his lemon iced tea, the light and salty ocean breeze wafting through the air and kissing his skin. It’s earthy yet floral and ocean-like. Baekhyun can’t help but snuggle closer, utterly relaxed.

“You’re sleepy?” Chanyeol asks as he kisses his temple. He nods tiredly and offers a low hum.

“You should sleep.”

“I can’t.” Groaning, Baekhyun opens his eyes and points to his twins. “Just look at them. How can I sleep when those two are still up and giggling?”

Chanyeol chuckles as he watches the twins snickering over a certain photo, babbling and cooing at each other in their own little bubble. He cards his fingers against Baekhyun’s silky brown locks.

“What do you think they are laughing at?” 

“I’m pretty sure it’s me. That thing has my bloated face plastered on every page. Me and my swollen feet and my big-ass bulging belly.” Baekhyun pouts, cuddling tighter and whining against his neck. “Yeol, they’re laughing at me. I was so huge.” 

Chanyeol snakes his hand under his robe and rubs his belly in soothing circles. “They’re not laughing at you. And you were only huge because you were pregnant. You were carrying two, not just one, but _two beautiful babies_ inside you. I mean, how awesome was that?” 

Chanyeol sweeps his fringe to the side and kisses his forehead tenderly.

“And for the record, you were the most beautiful pregnant man I’ve ever laid my eyes on. All round and plump and cuddly, every part I touched was so soft and bouncy. It made you a better cuddle partner,” Chanyeol tries to joke but Baekhyun only swats at his chest.

“Kidding aside, even when you were all big and swollen and moody, I didn’t love you any less. And if it’s possible, I think I just loved you even more.”

Baekhyun grumbles under his breath but the words are muffled by Chanyeol’s neck.

"Hm, say that again?" 

The smaller pulls back and stares up at him, eyes gleaming with unshed tears. "I said, you’re such a sap. But you’re my sap and I love you too, so so much." 

Chanyeol smiles and dips down to plant a quick airy kiss on Baekhyun’s cherry lips. He tastes of his favorite fruity lip balm that the taller loves to smudge at the end of each day, claiming his husband’s mouth for his own after a hard day at work. 

If their current situation were more favorable, he would have gone all the way, kissed him senseless, open-mouthed and all tongue, worshipped every nook and cranny of his beautiful body like he deserved, showed him how much of a goner he really was when it came to him. How badly had he wanted to take Baekhyun right here, right now, make love to him and please him in ways only he knew best, get him screaming at the top of his lungs, writhing in pleasure, again and again. _If their current situation were more favorable._

Before he gets further carried away, they hear Sera and Sejoo giggling again from the side. The delightful sounds they are making are so heavenly in their parents’ ears it makes them all warm and fuzzy inside. Chanyeol doesn’t really know if it was a good thing that he brought the scrapbook out. While he is beyond happy the kids are enjoying going through the pictures, he is more worried they’re losing precious sleep because of this.

“Rara, baby girl, what is so funny? Care to share with Daddy?”

Sera picks up the scrapbook and shows them a page with more pictures of Baekhyun in his second trimester where his nice round baby bump is more evident and his clothes looser. She points at the one in the middle, where her Dada is soaking alone inside the tub, stewing in a milk bath. Baekhyun’s head is lolling dangerously by the edge, arms loosely gripping the rim, eyes closed and mouth slightly parted. 

“Dada sweep on miming pool,” Sera says, giggling. 

“Oh my god, I forgot you took that photo of me sleeping in the tub!” Baekhyun grouses, lightly pinching the hand still roaming around his flat belly. Chanyeol retracts his hand almost immediately, fake moaning in pain.

The kids refer to their bathtub as a swimming pool for they have an unusually large rectangular one downstairs where they always took their baths, wide enough for the twins to swim around. The tub where the pregnant man was in is in their spare bathroom upstairs, en suite Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s room.

In Baekhyun’s defense, the steam from the milk bath was dizzying and overwhelmed his exhausted body. That and how far along he was with his pregnancy, the more tired he got each passing day. He only ever wanted to close his eyes for a bit and rest, but ended up falling asleep while taking a bath. 

Chanyeol had found him in that state an hour and a half later, mouth agape and making those cute puppy yips that he does when he’s deep in slumber. Before getting him out of the tub though, he grabbed his trusty Polaroid camera and took a snap for future purposes. He may or may not have teased Baekhyun about this incident and it was better with proof.

Chanyeol had carried his wet naked husband all the way to their bed without having to disrupt his peaceful slumber. Baekhyun was too out of it that he hadn’t felt Chanyeol transferring him from the bath to their bed. He woke up several hours later, all dried up and clad in his bathrobe, lying alone in the middle of their king-sized bed. 

“Oh look, your baby bump was showing,” Chanyeol says, squinting his eyes to look closely at the photo, then he reads the written caption, “ _Sleeping Beauty."_

Indeed, he was. Sleeping beauty was 22 weeks along in the photo and his body was wholly submerged except for the top skin of his round belly, peeking above the milk bath. His baby bump was almost the size of a coconut by that time and his navel was starting to pop-out. 

Chanyeol then reads the note he wrote at the bottom, “ _Sleeping beauty is mad at Prince Charming because he is jealous of Prince Charming’s friend._ ”

That makes Chanyeol chuckle, “Oh yeah, I remember this. You locked yourself inside the bathroom because you were so angry at me. I was so worried you weren’t coming out I had to forcefully break open the door. And then there you were, sleeping so soundly your hands and the soles of your feet became all wrinkly after being soaked for too long.”

“I was a humongous hormone casserole at that time and felt so insecure with my body. I was pregnant, hormonal and so so huge, plus you weren’t paying enough attention to me. You left me to sleep alone too,” Baekhyun harrumphs, crossing his arms above his chest.

Chanyeol props his chin on Baekhyun’s shoulder, voice soft as he says, “I didn’t leave you to sleep alone. I slept on the couch at the foot of the bed. When you locked yourself in there, you said you didn’t want to see my face so I gave you space. But I was still there, looking after you. After that stunt you pulled in the bathroom? I didn’t trust you to be alone anywhere anymore. Who knows what could’ve happened when I came much later.”

“Still. Even when I’m mad, you should’ve cuddled with me to sleep.”

Baekhyun remembers waking up crying after not seeing Chanyeol by his side, so terrified if he really went away and packed his things after screaming at him to get lost. Baekhyun was angry and his mind was clouded with hormone-induced insecurities and unnecessary jealousy, he didn’t mean anything that he said. That split-second fear of Chanyeol leaving him for someone else was enough to break the dam.

Chanyeol squeezes the pouting man in his hold tightly. “I know. I know better now. I’m sorry you were jealous of Luhan. But that’s all in the past, you know this right?”

The two husbands are so engrossed in their little discussion they almost forgot the twin babies watching their exchange the entire time. Sera and Sejoo have their heads tilted slightly to the side, blinking cutely. 

Baekhyun notices the twins staring and beckons them forward, “Come here Rara, Joojoo.”

The twins toddle towards him, Sera dragging the scrapbook behind her. They plop down on Baekhyun’s lap and immediately wrap their tiny hands around his neck. Chanyeol engulfs his family in a giant group hug, arms long enough to squish them all together causing the babies to whine and wriggling to get out.

“I’m so sorry you have to see that,” Baekhyun apologizes as he kisses his little munchkins in the cheeks, “You see, in the picture where Dada was sleeping inside the tub, your Daddy and I previously had a fight because I was jelly.”

“Jelly?” Sejoo asks, scrunching his eyebrows together.

“Yes baby, Dada was jelly of someone else. I was scared Daddy would be taken away from me, that he didn’t love me anymore.” 

“Daddy no wuv Dada?”

“No, Sejoo-ya, I always love Dada. I never stopped loving him,” Chanyeol answers this time, kissing the side of Baekhyun’s head, “But sometimes, people tend to forget that they are loved when they’re stressed or have a lot of worries. When they’re vulnerable, that’s when the fear creeps in. The fear that they’re not enough, that they’re lacking in something. But that’s not true.” 

Chanyeol looks Baekhyun straight in the eye as he says, “For a brief moment, your Dada forgot that I love him more than anything else in this world.”

It isn’t surprising really, to say the least. 

Not when Baekhyun has a pretty weird history with his friend, Luhan.

***  
 **11 years ago**

Baekhyun woke up with a start.

Instinctively, he looked up at his ceiling expecting to hear loud poundings caused by thoughtless hammerings this late at night, but was only met with deafening silence, so loud he could hear his chest heaving painfully as he struggled to bring oxygen back to his lungs. 

The only sounds in the room were his heavy panting, coupled with his rapidly beating heart. Baekhyun wiped the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead. 

The heavy poundings at his ceiling were long gone, only to be replaced by ghastly nightmares of his estranged childhood friend dying in his arms in several different ways, each in varying degrees of macabre as this kept going on for the past couple of days. His neighbor's hammerings were a lot more tolerable than these grim nightmares, at least in that case he had someone else to blame.

Baekhyun willed his breathing to return to normal, counting slowly in his head and timing every inhale and exhale with it. He glanced at the bracelet above his nightstand, the four-letter name staring mockingly back at him.

He didn’t even know if Loey was still alive. He just disappeared one day. For seven long years, Loey went missing. He had never seen him nor heard from him ever again.

_What if Loey was already dead?_

Was he really waiting for someone who wasn’t even existing anymore? Baekhyun shook his head and dismissed the unpleasant thoughts. 

He came to Seoul to study Art after successfully getting a scholarship at a revered university, but his motivation to weather an unfamiliar, foreign city loosely revolved around finding his best friend and bringing him back. Baekhyun had never gotten as far as his hometown and this was the perfect chance and opportunity he’d long been waiting for. 

Immediately after coming to Seoul, Baekhyun had asked around for Park Loey and his sister, Park Yoora. He knew how the Park family kept their internal affairs private, how they stayed under the radar despite being globally known for a number of industries. He knew this after being with them for so long yet it didn’t deter him from his plans.

But no matter how many times he asked around Seoul with his limited resources or how hard he scoured the internet for any kind of information, the whereabouts of the Park siblings remained elusive and unknown. It was like they never existed.

The last thing Baekhyun knew before they went missing was how Yoora practically got disowned by their parents right after she got married and had her firstborn. She never got their blessing after she refused to be tied in an arranged marriage to her parents’ prospective business partner, with hopes of expanding and strengthening their international reach. She moved to Seoul with her first love, a Thai exchange student from her university, while she was carrying their baby boy in her womb and started their new life away, bringing Loey with them too. 

It was something that angered their parents more, Loey had told him once during one of their meet-ups back in their hometown. Yoora taking their only son with her, the heir and the future of Park Industries, only did more damage than good, further severing their filial ties. Loey refused to grant his parent’s wishes of coming back to the mansion in support of her sister. Yoora was Loey’s whole family and she had protected him all her life, he only wanted to do the same. 

Despite the distance and time constraints, Loey had religiously visited Baekhyun for the first few months that they were apart. They still talked, hung-out, and bonded like before. 

Nothing had really changed in their friendship, except Baekhyun started realizing he had been harboring feelings towards his best friend all this time—a feeling that was deeper and more meaningful than their brotherly love, something he never saw coming and had hit him straight in the face, literally.

It happened when he received a love confession from a classmate at his high school locker. The letter was so sweet, the sender even left a chocolate bar and a single red rose to go with it. Baekhyun was so happy that someone admired him and saw him as more than just a friend. He called Loey almost immediately to share the good news and told him that he’d be meeting his secret admirer at their preschool’s playground in the afternoon after school ended.  
  
To Baekhyun’s complete surprise, he bumped into Loey’s chest on his way home from the playground later that afternoon, the latter panting and out of breath like he had just run a marathon to get there. Loey was furiously asking him if he had already met the admirer but as it turned out, Baekhyun got the time all mixed-up, his secret admirer was no longer in their agreed place by the time he came. 

When he asked Loey why he was there though, his friend just shrugged and said, “Uh, I wanted to congratulate you?”

“You couldn’t tell me this over the phone?” Baekhyun had replied, a bit annoyed, “You drove 3 hours for this? You ditched class, didn’t you? I swear to god Loey, if your noona finds out about this—”

He was cut short when Loey all of a sudden enveloped him in a tight hug, resting his chin on his shoulder and squeezing so hard like his life depended on it, he almost had his airway blocked by the sheer force of it. Loey had mumbled something but he was too preoccupied at patting the latter’s back to loosen the hold and let him breathe to have heard whatever he said. 

“What’s that again?”

“I said, thank the heavens you’re dumb and have no sense of time.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“It means, the powdered doughnut shop is still open, you want to go? I’ll buy since you’re brokenhearted and all that.”

“I am not!” Baekhyun insisted as the latter dragged him towards the direction of the bakery, an arm loosely hanging by his shoulders and keeping him close. 

It was later that night, after they had their stomachs filled with powdery goodness and had caught up with each other’s lives, when he finally had to see Loey off to his car and bid him goodbye, that he realized, why he was not even the slightest bit sad about not being able to meet his secret admirer earlier that day. 

Because right at that moment, as he hugged his best friend tight and stared at his somber eyes that it occurred to him, how each whispered farewell just got harder and more painful each time. Words and tears were no longer enough to express how difficult it was to see him leave and walk away from him again. 

This pain trumps all other painful things that Baekhyun had felt in his young life. He never got used to the feeling, for it only broke his heart much worse than the last. And no matter how many times Loey had whispered the phrase, _"I'll be back, I'll always come back,"_ against his ears while holding him near to his heart, Baekhyun still couldn’t help the gnawing fear that one day, he might not. 

Like the age-old adage they say, absence made the heart grow fonder. It took Loey being away for Baekhyun to realize how much he really needed him in his life, how much he meant, how all he ever wanted was to see his face every single day. 

Baekhyun was slowly crossing the border from friendship to something entirely different. It was scary, coming to terms with his true feelings, but it was a good kind of fear. The fear that only drove him to see Loey more each day.

And Loey, as much as he could, held onto his tacit promise. He had always come back to Baekhyun. _Always._

But always was too strong of a word, too heavy of a promise, for the day came when _always_ turned to _never_.

Loey never came back for him again. He just disappeared into thin air, gone without a trace, right when Baekhyun was about to tell him what he truly felt. 

He waited by the playground, on the swing, like how they used to. He kept coming back, every day of every month, for the first few years. Until he got tired of waiting and doing nothing, and ultimately found himself in Seoul to come find him, still hoping for the day Loey would miraculously turn up on his door. 

Seven years had passed and Baekhyun was still waiting for someone he wasn’t really sure was coming back. But no matter how long it took until their next meeting, Little Hyun would always be waiting for his Loey, against all odds.

It was of these regrets and longing thoughts that put Baekhyun back to slumber. 

Chanyeol, as Baekhyun learned in the few days that he had known his upstairs neighbor, was a tenacious and persuasive man—and he didn’t mean that in a positive way.

“Good morning, rise and shine!”

Because for the fifth consecutive time this week, Chanyeol was again outside his door at sharply six in the morning, wearing his signature cheeky grin and holding out a tupperware in front of his face. The sun had barely risen yet Chanyeol’s blinding smile was enough to make him squint. 

“Have you had your breakfast yet?” his neighbor asked.

Baekhyun didn’t even have the time to wash his face or fix his bed hair, which he was sure was sticking out in all the wrong directions like an intricately woven bird’s nest before he grumpily checked the intruding visitor behind his door this early in the morning. He shouldn’t be surprised anymore because lo and behold, it’s the annoying neighbor. _Again_. 

Fighting back a yawn with the back of his hand, Baekhyun shook his head. 

“Great! I made some pasta, let’s go eat.”

_How the hell is he always up by 6 am?_

Baekhyun lazily rubbed the sleep off his eyes while Chanyeol mistook his silence as an invitation to barge in on his home, went past by him without another word, and proceeded to raid his kitchen for bowls and utensils, all the while blabbering about how the weather was really nice this morning and if he would like to hang out with him after breakfast.

 _No_ , Baekhyun wanted to say. He wanted him to go and leave him alone. It was the weekend and he could really use the time off to catch some more sleep and be at peace. He hadn't slept that long after another horrid nightmare, and he would very much like to stay in bed all day long.  
  
But Baekhyun, like the sane person that he was despite not getting enough sleep, decided to keep his mouth shut because he’d be driving away free food if he didn’t. As annoying and invasive as Chanyeol might have been, he made up with his great cooking skills. Baekhyun enjoyed everything that he brought to share so far. 

Yawning for the nth time, Baekhyun plopped down on the chair beside his neighbor at the dining table. He drowsily scooped some pasta into his bowl, half asleep, eyes fighting to stay awake and causing some to spill on his pretty mantle before Chanyeol pitifully took over with the ladle, chuckling at his fluttering eyelids.

Baekhyun didn’t know when and how he started becoming friends with Chanyeol, but somehow, it just happened. The man had been knocking at his front door for the past few weeks, usually every morning to bring him breakfast and a cheerful ‘ _Good morning, rise and shine!’_ to start his day. If Chanyeol was in an even better mood, he stayed around and ate said breakfast with him.

The first time it happened, Baekhyun had been so confused. He saw him sitting on the ground by the wall beside his door, a tupperware in his lap and waiting for him to come out. He hadn’t expected Chanyeol to remember anything so it came as a complete surprise to see him there, all cheerful and perky like he wasn’t just sick the night before. 

Baekhyun was baffled, but he didn’t ask any further. He accepted the tupperware with wide, open hands, grateful for the free homemade food however bizarre and random it felt coming from a complete stranger. 

For the first few days, it had been understandable. Maybe Chanyeol was just being nice to return the favor, or the daily breakfast deliveries were a show of gratitude. But when Chanyeol kept coming back the following days, and always at the same time, Baekhyun had to intervene and address the elephant in the room. 

So by the end of the first week, as he opened the door with a toothbrush stuck in his mouth, he finally asked. 

“Why?”

“What why?”

“Why do you keep coming back? If this is for that night, I’m telling you, this is already too much—”

“That’s one reason,” Chanyeol had cut him off, the glint in his eyes, however, told Baekhyun there was no hidden motive under this random act of kindness, “but mostly because you look so happy every time I come here. Okay, maybe not happy to see me, but your eyes literally light up the moment you spot the tupperware I was holding.”

Baekhyun choked over the foam in his mouth then, ashamed at how his body betrayed him at the mere sight of a free meal. Chanyeol didn’t have to be so honest like that. 

Even when Baekhyun reiterated for so many times how he didn’t need him to do any of this, Chanyeol was one stubborn man. He found that it was a lot less mentally taxing if he just let the taller do as he was bidding. So since then, the visits continued as they did before, with Chanyeol and his tupperware of free food waiting for him behind his door every morning.

As Baekhyun watched his neighbor serve him a generous helping of the pasta, making sure to get some meat and vegetables in his bowl too, he was suddenly reminded of that one rainy summer night. The night that prompted all of the subsequent mornings he had with him. 

The night when he looked after a sick Chanyeol.

True to his words, Baekhyun had asked Seunghwan to bring him some medication after he saw Chanyeol’s drenched and shivering state in the elevator as he still felt awkward being near him after the bracelet incident. However, at the last minute, he decided to just do it himself; all he had to do was to leave the medicine at his door and be gone on his way, how hard would that be? 

But Baekhyun had never been more wrong in his life, because by some kind of twisted and cruel fate, the door suddenly opened just as he was about to knock to let him know of the medicine he left. Chanyeol emerged from the other side and not so gracefully collapsed into his body, burning hot, quivering, and delirious. 

Trapped under the weight of a man twice his body size, Baekhyun had no choice as he painstakingly lugged his heavy neighbor and his gangly limbs from the doorway to his bedroom, helped him be as comfortable as he could by tucking him under the covers before leaving him to rest. 

But just when he thought the hard part was over, long weak fingers clamped around the hem of his shirt, and a silent plea was whispered in between heavy pants, profuse sweating, and bodily shivers.

_"Stay.”_

It was out of pity, Baekhyun made himself believe, was the sole reason why he was fussing around the taller’s apartment to find some towels and a basin to fill with lukewarm water. 

It was out of pity, Baekhyun repeated to himself, was the only reason why he was rubbing a damp washcloth against flushed, heated skin. 

It was out of pity, Baekhyun realized, why he was picturing Loey’s face as he watched Chanyeol sleep, seated on the bed beside his weak body, waiting for his fever to break.

It was out of pity, Baekhyun concluded, but more for himself. 

He had been yearning for his best friend for so long that he’d started projecting him on the next person he saw. And Chanyeol just happened to be that person.

However, he wasn’t just any random, passing person. Baekhyun hadn’t been paying much attention the first time they met, but now that he had a good unabashed look, the striking facial similarities between his neighbor and his estranged childhood friend deeply unnerved him. 

Chanyeol undeniably was more muscular and rough as opposed to Loey’s soft and chubbier side, but if he squinted and stared hard enough, Chanyeol resembled Loey in ways that raised goosebumps along his skin. The way Chanyeol’s lips were shaped like a small bow just like Loey’s, the long lashes almost touching his cheekbones that he once used to run his fingers through, his perfectly straight nose, and those unmistakably long pointy ears, how could he miss such distinct features? 

He could only remember Loey’s face from 7 years ago through what’s left of his memories of him and the old pictures of them he managed to keep over the years, but with alarming fear and daunting clarity, it finally occurred to him, Loey’s face could very well look like Chanyeol’s right now.

“Hello? Earth to Baek?”

Baekhyun blinked his eyes that almost got cross-eyed as Chanyeol was waving a metal fork in front of his face, a worried look thrown at him.

“Pasta’s getting cold. Eat while it’s hot.”

“Pasta for breakfast? Really?” Baekhyun snatched the fork from Chanyeol’s hand, twisting the noodles on his plate as he tried to clear his mind of thoughts of that particular night. There’s a pretty big chance he was the real delirious one that night. 

“That was actually my leftover dinner, I just reheated it. I thought you might want to try?”

Baekhyun shoved a forkful of steaming pasta into his mouth, chewing loudly, “You know, I don’t really appreciate you barging in at my home so earl—oh wow. This is sooo good.”

Chanyeol donned a proud and satisfied smile, watching him ladle a new serving from the tupperware to his bowl. “So you’re saying?”

Baekhyun happily munched on his free breakfast, completely abandoning what he was about to say. Appreciative noises were coming out of his mouth as he chewed audibly and shamelessly, savoring the delicious taste on his palate.

“Mhmm, this is really tasty. What is this? You made this?” he asked around a mouthful of pasta and red sauce.

“It’s kimchi pasta, and yes, I did. I’ll make another batch for you next time.”

“What is a hammering guy like you doing cooking good food like this? I don’t know why you’re not a chef. Seriously.” Baekhyun licked the last of the sauce on his fork before realizing he had consumed the entirety of the tupperware. “Oh sorry, I ate everything. You want some toast?” 

“It's okay. I already ate before I came here,” Chanyeol answered, watching Baekhyun clean the mess on his table before bringing the dirty dishes to the sink. “And I’m not just a hammering guy. I’m passionate about designing furniture and building them from scratch.”

“Hmm, I see. You love it so much to the point you disrupt other people’s sleep.”

“Hey, that was one time—”

“Three times, actually. Three days of loud, relentless poundings at my ceiling,” Baekhyun teased, tutting and shaking his head as he poured two glasses of water, “And I realize, I’ve already accepted your apology countless times from the food that you always bring so I should really stop the teasing.”

“Glad that we’re clear about that,” Chanyeol said, grinning as he accepted the glass of water that Baekhyun handed him. 

“But seriously though, we’re okay now. You should really stop knocking at my door so early in the morning! I could still be asleep by now. The precious hours of sleep I’m losing because of you,” Baekhyun complained as he fussed around the kitchen, washing the dishes and tidying things.

“So you want me to stop bringing you food?”

“You’re not hearing me. I said don’t come knocking at 6 am, not _not_ bring me food." Baekhyun dried his hands and drank his glass of water, burping by the end of it. He felt so full and satiated. Chanyeol’s persistence might not be so bad after all. “Or maybe, share the recipe with me so I can cook my own. I mean, I’m no chef but I could attempt. You can teach me instead. What do you think?”

Baekhyun hadn’t received any reply for a couple of minutes so he turned back around only to see Chanyeol was no longer at the dining table. "Chanyeol?" 

He walked back to the living room and there he saw the taller standing before his work in progress, staring idly. 

It was a 28x42 in. portrait canvas littered with pencil sketches, perched on a wooden easel at the far corner of the room near the open balcony where he had better access to natural lighting. On the floor beneath the easel’s legs were old newspaper sheets rained with drying colorful paint splats. Baekhyun's other paintings lined the wall behind the easel, all for Chanyeol to see.

“I think I saw you once on the elevator carrying a blank canvas,” Chanyeol mused, roaming his eyes and admiring the display before him.

Baekhyun’s art style leaned more towards picturesque, vibrant depictions of nature and landscapes. He used a lot of color in his paintings and his brushstrokes were refined and precise, Chanyeol couldn’t help but notice.

On his left, there was a painting of cherry blossoms in full bloom where the petals were in its prettiest shade of blush pink, made more prominent against a sky blue backdrop of hazy clouds. Then there’s also a snow-capped mountain range blanketed by dazzling northern lights of swirling green and yellow and purple combined. It felt magical just by looking at it. 

To his right was a black canvas of the night sky with a cluster of stars following a long diagonal path like some faraway galaxy. On the far end was a scenic painting of a green forest overflowing with flora and fauna, with a running stream in the middle, so full of life. 

“I always figured you paint but this is the first time I’m actually seeing your works. They’re breathtakingly beautiful, Byun Baek. I feel like I’m in an exhibit right now.” 

Chanyeol had been calling him _Byun Baek_ ever since the bracelet incident and Baekhyun never felt the need to correct him, nor complete his name. The genuine compliment though, made his heart flutter and a shy blush crept its way on his cheeks. Baekhyun ducked his head down to hide his obvious delight. 

What caught Chanyeol’s eyes, however, was a medium-sized, still life oil painting of a fruit basket, still unfinished, and stood out like a sore thumb amongst the rest of its peers. Everything was colored in except for a white blank space in the middle that took the shape of what seemed like a bunch of mangoes, surrounded by vibrant red apples, purple grapes, green limes, and yellow bananas.

“I’m glad you find them beautiful. I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. I guess I just honed the skills over the years. My mom used to tell me I never left without my sketchpad and crayons. I have hundreds of them back home." Baekhyun chuckled as he padded towards him quietly, stopping by his side. "Drawing transports me into this whole otherworldly place, just me and whatever medium I'm currently using at the moment. It takes my mind off things. It calms me down and rides me high. Painting helps me to sleep, too."

"You have trouble sleeping at night?" 

Baekhyun nodded, eyes trained on the blank canvas in front. "I have recurring nightmares. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, sweating and crying. I normally couldn’t go back to sleep after that so I painted to calm my nerves down.”

He shifted his gaze and eyed the painting of a fruit basket he started the day Loey didn’t show up. The painting had been unfinished and untouched for seven whole years.

“Have you ever had one?” Baekhyun asked absentmindedly, “A nightmare so intense you end up crying in your sleep?"

When he turned to his right, he hadn't expected Chanyeol to be staring at him with so much concern in his eyes, brown orbs luring him in, curious, but never imposing. 

As he held Chanyeol’s gaze, Baekhyun felt his vision slowly tunneling the longer he stared back. A blink of an eye and suddenly, everything was fading into black, encompassing his living room in total darkness. Another blink and Loey was there, and his younger self, too. All he could see was the two of them, illuminated under a soft moonlight hanging somewhere from above.

Loey was with him on the swings in their old playground, feet propped up in the air as they swung together hand-in-hand. They were laughing about something, but he couldn't hear. Everything was silent. 

Then the view before him shifted like distorted television static, and the next thing he knew, the younger version of themselves were standing. They were huddled close together for warmth, seemingly crying against each other's necks. Silent cries. The lone moon cast its glow over their twin bracelets. _Loey and Hyun._

_Loey._

Baekhyun blinked again but this time, as he opened his eyes, there was only Chanyeol. In the middle of his brightly lit living room, surrounded by his paintings, and staring back at him.

Chanyeol and his mesmerizing eyes.

He had always liked Chanyeol's eyes. They’re uncharacteristically big and so deep like they hold the answers to all the questions in this world. 

But Baekhyun only had one. _Is it you, Loey?_

"Yes."

Baekhyun's heart was beating so loud and so fast, like it was trying to come out of his ribcage, "Sorry—what?"

Until Chanyeol broke his haze. 

“You asked whether I’ve ever had a nightmare so intense I end up crying in my sleep?” 

"Oh," Baekhyun cleared his throat then, eyes anywhere but his neighbor's, "Right. So...have you?"

"Yes, actually. I have." Chanyeol contemplated for a moment, eyebrows furrowed as if assessing whether he wanted Baekhyun to know what he was about to say. After a while, he spoke again. “But it wasn’t a nightmare. I don’t remember much of it now, only that I was asleep for so long sometimes I cried in my sleep. My parents had told me."

Chanyeol walked towards his paintings and crouched down before the fruit basket one, holding a curious palm out, "Has it always been like this? The nightmares?" 

“No. I guess it started...” Baekhyun stilled, racking his brain for answers. Come to think of it, the nightmares started that day when he knocked on Chanyeol’s door complaining about the loud hammerings. That day when Chanyeol held his wrist tightly, asking about his bracelet. The bracelet that Loey gave. “About a month ago?”

The taller turned back around to face him, still in a crouching position, “And these paintings helped you cope with the nightmares. I never would’ve known. You created something beautiful out of a horrible experience.”

Chanyeol regarded him with a comforting smile as he slowly stood up and inched his way back to him. 

“I’m guessing they still happen?” he asked, taking a quick glance at the blank canvas on the easel.

“Oh, no. That was for a class project, actually. Our class will be holding an art exhibit in two months’ time. I’m supposed to submit an entry.”

“I see. I’ll look forward to that, then.”

As Baekhyun smiled back, it did not escape him how Chanyeol’s gaze kept flitting back to his unfinished painting. He didn’t understand what was happening to his heart, why it was suddenly beating uncontrollably, and why Chanyeol's sudden curiosity made him slightly hopeful, for some inexplicable reason. And this might sound crazy, but he wanted to see something for himself. To rule out a possibility.

“Can I ask you something?” so he asked, catching the latter’s attention back to him. 

“Shoot.”

“Will you eat green mangoes for me?”

Baekhyun watched as Chanyeol’s face contorted into a look of utter confusion, eyebrows scrunched together and this big question mark reflecting across his face. The question was so random and out of the blue and he realized that now after he had heard it out loud. Baekhyun shook his head, huffing at his own silliness. It sounded a lot less crazy in his head.

Chanyeol was about to open his mouth but Baekhyun beat him to it, “No, actually, nevermind. Forget what I asked.” 

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s nothing.” _It’s stupid_ , he thought to himself. 

There was no way this man’s the same guy as Loey. The very notion in itself didn’t sit well with him. Loey would recognize him in a heartbeat, just like how he would know if this man standing before him was really his Loey. Chanyeol wasn’t even aware of his existence until a month ago. And yes, they shared notable facial likeness but any two people could look identical in some ways without any relation. The similarities ended there. He was not Loey.

And Chanyeol was just Chanyeol. 

As Baekhyun saw his neighbor out of the door, he couldn’t help but wonder what Chanyeol’s answer might have been. Or if he was ever ready to hear his answer. Maybe it was a good thing he didn’t know, to save himself the heartbreak of getting his hopes up. 

His mind repeatedly told him Chanyeol wasn’t Loey, there’s just no way for this to be true. And believing that would’ve been easy.

If only his heart said the same. 

Chanyeol, _really_ wasn’t Loey. There was no doubt in that now. 

Despite being born in Seoul, he had never been in the country long enough to be considered familiar. His parents were the frequent flyers, came and went as they pleased for business-related matters while he only visited Korea during the summer and stayed in their vacation home in a faraway town, miles from the capital. Chanyeol had lived his whole life in London where he resided with his parents and had received his basic education there. 

His family kept to their roots and still ran a Korean household even in the west, which explained why Chanyeol knew a lot of Korean dishes and was very fluent in their language.

Their university—Baekhyun found out they went to the same one, too—offered an excellent program in Interior Design and was one of the best there was in the world, so Chanyeol did not hesitate to book the next flight out to Seoul with only his one-way ticket and the clothes on his back. He transferred here on the account of continuing his studies and following his life long dreams. 

However, his decision hadn’t been easy—one that didn’t curry any favors, particularly of his parents. 

It was of these thoughts that filled Baekhyun’s head as he waited for Chanyeol in front of a local supermarket, fanning his face with his hand for it was a hot and humid day, the sun high above the cloudless sky. He belatedly regretted coming in an hour earlier than their agreed time, his shirt was sticking to his back and his bangs matted his forehead.

Baekhyun lazily watched the slow Saturday afternoon traffic unfolding before his eyes, cars zooming past the highway and pedestrians milling around the streets, minding their own business and eager to get to their destinations despite the arid weather. 

A gigantic billboard advertisement of a famous kimchi brand across the street caught Baekhyun’s roaming eyes. The delicious-looking fermented cabbage made his mouth water, wishing he had that steaming bowl of white rice right now where the kimchi was splayed generously on top.

Baekhyun smiled, remembering how it was the same brand Chanyeol used in his cooking and frequently asked him to buy. His train of thoughts flitted back to that conversation he and Chanyeol once had over breakfast while munching on kimchi fried rice and slurping doenjang stew. 

“I’m a huge disappointment,” Chanyeol had said as he picked on a loose thread at his cotton track pants, “My parents never approved of me going in here, nor my passion in life, but here I am still.”

The stew in Baekhyun’s bowl grew cold as he stopped eating altogether, listening intently to Chanyeol's life story, “Why?”

“I was in my final year of Business Management and International Relations studies in Aberdeen when I felt I’ve had enough. Just one year left can you imagine,” Chanyeol bitterly chuckled, now playing with the finely chopped vegetables in his rice.

“One year left but I broke. I dropped my studies without their knowledge. I was no longer happy at how things were going. I’ve been working tirelessly for my father’s company alongside studying and it took a huge toll on me. To prepare me for the future, they say, but I only grew tired of it. Meetings after meetings after meetings, I never wanted to run a big company. I gradually found myself giving up everything that I used to love, including woodworking.”

It was raining outside, the drizzle and low-lying dark clouds painted his dining area a gloomy tone. Behind Chanyeol’s head, Baekhyun watched as the raindrops clinging on the glass window raced to the bottom. 

“I lost myself in the way, trying to please my parents to the point I no longer know who I am. There is always this deep void within me that cannot be filled no matter how much I strive hard to make them happy and proud. 

“I wake up every morning and this pit, this bottomless pit I fall further down and have no way of resurfacing. I’m trapped under this heavy responsibility my parents bestowed upon me the very second I was born into this world. I never asked for this, I never wanted this, I—ah, sorry, I’m rambling now. It’s too depressing,” Chanyeol looked up from his plate and smiled sheepishly at him.

But Baekhyun didn’t mind. He never knew that behind those chirpy ‘good morning’ greetings, his flashy grins, and heavenly cooking, hiding was a man as vulnerable and hurt as him. Chanyeol too, was battling his own fights.

“So you went here?”

The taller nodded, keeping his head down as if ashamed for Baekhyun to see his face as he mumbled, “Like a coward, I fled. I went here and ran away from my responsibilities. Someone I know from here arranged my documents and filed all necessary paperwork so I could study here in peace and transfer as stealthy as I could without alerting my parents. I’ve been in hiding ever since. For all they know, I could still be in Aberdeen with a friend I left there, too. It’s only a matter of time before they eventually know.”

Baekhyun watched as Chanyeol scooped more fried rice into his plate. “Hey, you’re not eating.”

He stopped the hand mid-air, closing his fingers around his neighbor’s fist. It was the first time he ever initiated an intimate gesture with him. Baekhyun offered a smile of understanding.

“I think you’re brave. You went after what you really love. You left behind a life of suffering and chose yourself. You chose to be happy, and that’s okay.”

After that somber breakfast they shared, Baekhyun concluded Chanyeol really was a whole different person. His neighbor lived outside the country his whole life while he met Loey here. Any more thoughts or lingering hopes he might have of them being one person were effectively quelled by his sob story. 

Baekhyun tried his hardest not to think about him again, at least in that way. Just sometimes, it proved to be difficult. The more he was trying not to think of it, the more he was thinking of it; the more time he spent with the taller, the more he was inclined to believe that Chanyeol might be his long lost best friend. _Against all reason._

It was hard to ignore coincidental similarities between Chanyeol and Loey, no matter how minuscule they were, when it was always right there in front of him, waiting to be unveiled. He tried to suppress the thoughts, but it only came back at full force. Baekhyun had lost count of the times when it was Chanyeol who inadvertently broached the subject. 

Like today, for instance, as they both pushed their cart around the supermarket—Chanyeol was surprised to see him so early—engaged in a friendly chatter while scanning the shelves for grocery items that Baekhyun mentally listed in his head.

Doing grocery shopping together became their new thing now, as Chanyeol cooked for him while he bought the ingredients. Gone were the days when he lived off unhealthy packet ramens and instant cup noodles, all thanks to him. 

At one moment, they were only arguing about which brand of hotteok mix to buy for tomorrow's pancakes, and the next thing he knew, Chanyeol was asking questions he never thought he would ever hear again. 

“Do you believe in aliens, Byun Baek?”

Baekhyun's hand froze in the middle of retrieving a pack of cold beer from the display chiller, fingers hovering over the tall bottles of lager. 

"W-why do you ask?" he stuttered over a heavy lump in his throat, swallowing. 

The bottleneck was starting to form a ring of condensation around it the longer it was exposed to warm air from the open fridge door. Baekhyun watched as a tiny droplet ran down the bottle's side, mirroring the sinking dread he felt in his gut at Chanyeol’s question. He wanted nothing more than to pop the cap off this unpaid beer and gulp down its contents to wash down the heavy feeling. 

_Why would he ask something only he and Loey knew?_

"No reason. I just noticed you wear that shirt often," the taller replied, eyeing the front of his tee. 

Baekhyun promptly looked down at his chest, at his favorite black graphic tee shirt with a gangly neon green alien print, flashing its middle finger and the phrase _'Humans suck!'_ attached beside its weirdly shaped head. It was one of the shirts that Yoora noona bought for him before. Loey had the same one, too.

He hadn't noticed he was staring at his own chest far too long until he saw approaching footsteps at his line of vision from the ground; a pair of black Vans stopping right before his dirtied white Converse. When he looked back up, his eyes instantly met with a pair of full lips in the prettiest shade of pink, parted slightly that he could see the faint outlines of teeth peeking from the inside. 

Baekhyun gulped. How cruel it was of their obvious height difference that made it so the first thing he always saw when he stood in front of his tall neighbor was his plump lips—the very same ones he was staring at right now. Baekhyun didn’t mean to stare but he couldn’t take his eyes off either. Chanyeol was _so_ close, invading his personal space. 

When it was evident that the taller wasn't going to move away after they stood there awkwardly close to each other for quite some time—Baekhyun not daring to look anywhere else but straight ahead and unfortunately for him, straight ahead meant Chanyeol's crooked grin—he finally took a step back only to yelp in surprise as his back met with a cold, wet sensation. Baekhyun realized in horror he was pressed against rows of bottled cold beers, the condensation now clinging at his clothed back. 

To his utter confusion, Chanyeol only moved forward, lunging towards him and Baekhyun could only close his eyes in panic, assuming a defensive position as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, scared of what his neighbor would do. He was completely backed up against the open fridge and the beers were really cold against his already damp shirt. 

_How did he end up like this?_

When Baekhyun hadn’t detected any movement after quite some time except for steady breathing close to his ear, he shyly took a peek and saw Chanyeol leaning an arm against the side of his head, smirking amusedly.

“You’re in the way, Byun Baek. I meant to get the beers?”

The cold from the open chiller had nothing against the heat that was creeping at the back of his ears and neck. _He was so mortified._

"I uh—" he cleared his throat, stepping away from the open fridge and stopping in front of their half-full cart. _Damage control, think of something else to talk about_ , he mentally cried.

"I used to."

“Hm, what?”

Chanyeol dropped the beers on the cart as Baekhyun pushed and resumed their lazy stroll around the supermarket, "I used to believe in aliens, but I already grew up from that childish belief."

It was true. Ever since Loey went missing, he thought less and less of all their shared interests. Like everything went away with him and left him with only memories to hold on to.

"Why'd you stop?" 

Baekhyun stopped the cart too and faced Chanyeol sharply, slightly annoyed by the sudden intrusion, "You eventually stop believing when you start to lose hope. It was hard to hold on to something intangible, when you can't see, hear, nor feel. What does that leave me with? I am left waiting blindly, waiting for someone I'm not sure still exists. I waited and waited," _For 7 years I did_ , "I waited for so long."

Chanyeol's eyebrows were knitted together in confusion, "For what?"

Baekhyun drew in a long sigh, no longer able to hold Chanyeol's stare. He dropped his gaze down their cart, staring at nothing in particular. His hands felt clammy as he whispered to himself, "I waited for him to come."

But Chanyeol failed to hear what he just said, "Sorry, what was that?" 

Baekhyun wasn't sure what he was talking about anymore. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans before he looked back up again, forcing a tight smile.

"I waited for the aliens to come to my backyard. But they never did. Sometimes I thought I saw a UFO, but it was just a brief flash of navigational lights from a nearby lighthouse back in my town. Everyone knows aliens are not real beside me and…a friend. But he was gone now, too. So there's that." Baekhyun looked straight at the taller’s eyes again as he said, "It's hard to stay faithful in something when you're the only one left believing. It gets lonely."

"Then let's believe together. I do believe they exist, Baek."

Baekhyun felt his heart skip a beat, "W-what? Why?" 

"Maybe not in aliens per se, at least not the ones depicted on the tv or movies or in your shirt," Chanyeol nodded at his tee and Baekhyun just shook his head, scoffing, "But I believe there’s a whole other civilization out there, a new breed of intelligent life forms. The universe is so vast, Baek. And we're only just a tiny speck in this big, big galaxy. So who knows? Maybe there’s even a parallel universe that exists. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed when I think about how infinitesimally small I am compared to this universe we live in. We’ve barely scratched the surface. There’s more to life outside of what we only know.”

Chanyeol clamped his fingers over the cart handle, smiling widely, "So let's believe together so I'm not alone."

Baekhyun didn't understand why but he found himself nodding along, “O-okay.”

 _You sound so much like Loey_ , Baekhyun wanted to add. He never knew anyone else that shared the same thinking as he and Loey did when they were kids.

But Baekhyun didn't have the chance to speak anymore as Chanyeol pushed the cart once again, heading towards the Dairy section with him trailing behind.

The following day, as Baekhyun laid in his bed and opened his eyes to a quiet, calm morning, staring at his ceiling as he listened to the sounds of chirping birds and felt the warmth of the early morning sun blessing his face, that he only realized, the nightmares stopped coming.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun became close friends in the short time that they’ve known each other. Days went by in a blink of an eye, and before they knew it, three months had already passed since the day they first met.

It was easy, they clicked instantly. Chanyeol charmed his way into Baekhyun’s life through food and having breakfast together was routine by now—Baekhyun loved to eat as he discovered, and Chanyeol liked indulging him with his cooking. 

Meanwhile, Baekhyun returned the same energy by helping him adjust to a new life in Seoul, often taking him out on a local tour around the city, including its famous tourist destinations. 

Baekhyun wouldn’t forget that one time they rode the cable car in Namsan when all Chanyeol did was hold his hand and closed his eyes, tucked away in the far corner throughout the whole duration of the ride. Apparently, the taller had a crippling fear of heights, quite ironic when he was a giant himself, and didn’t tell Baekhyun beforehand.

“You could’ve said something,” Baekhyun admonished at the end of the ride, looking down pitifully at his companion crouching on the ground after his long wobbly legs gave out. He was still holding Chanyeol’s hand like a lost child in the park. They were in the middle of the walkway, and the crowd was starting to gawk. 

“D-didn’t want to…” Chanyeol tried to say in between shaky breaths, looking up at him with glassy eyes and a forced smile, “...s-see you sad.”

Baekhyun should’ve been feeling guilty, but instead, he was left awestruck, staring. For he could see the ocean reflected behind the taller’s irises as the light from the Namsan Tower behind them bathed the whole park in bright, dazzling blue. The ambiance was kind of romantic, if you would ask him, it felt like they were caged inside an oceanarium, but instead of water, they were blanketed under tall trees mirroring the ocean’s color in its rustling leaves. 

“Why would I be sad you giant baby! This is my fault, I should've asked you first.”

He was terrified because Chanyeol looked so pale and was close to passing out inside the car. He wasn’t able to enjoy the ride when all his attention was focused on keeping his neighbor alive by helping him breathe. 

Baekhyun felt so guilty, partly responsible for this whole trip was his idea. He should’ve at least asked him if he was fine with any of these. He wouldn’t willingly subject Chanyeol to this kind of torture if only he had known. 

Said man slowly rose from the floor, gripping Baekhyun’s hand tight to push himself up, grunting from the action. Chanyeol brought his hand up and gently ran four of his fingers against Baekhyun’s forehead, smoothing out the creases and lines of worries marring his face. 

“It’s not your fault, Baek. Don’t berate yourself too much.”

Baekhyun felt relieved that Chanyeol had somehow calmed down now, but the lingering guilt was still evident in the way he spoke, almost to a whine, “Why didn’t you tell me.” 

“You were so happy when we got here. I thought I could finally face my fears, I just didn’t expect it to be that _high_. I didn’t want to spoil the mood,” Chanyeol scratched his head, looking vaguely apologetic, “But I still did in the end. Sorry, Byun Baek.”

Truth be told, Baekhyun had been looking forward to this trip because it was also his first time riding the famous cable car. It was the talk of their town. In the three years that he lived in Seoul, he poured all his energy into studying and finding his childhood friend, leaving no room for leisure and sightseeing. 

“You helped me through it. I’m still glad you were there for me.”

Chanyeol flashed his toothy grin then, ruffling Baekhyun’s hair. The smaller swatted his hand away, grumbling at how they could’ve saved the money to buy food instead. 

To make it up to him, Chanyeol promised to cook his favorite kimchi pasta as soon as they got back to their apartment, which instantly lifted Baekhyun’s spirits like nothing happened. He hated that smug look in the taller’s face the moment he saw him perk up at the mention of his favorite pasta. Baekhyun couldn’t blame him though when Chanyeol knew his weakness, knew he could never go wrong in enticing him with food. 

“So what’s next in our itinerary?” Chanyeol asked, slinging an arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders.

“That’s it for today. It’s getting late.” Baekhyun glanced at his watch, unconsciously sidling towards the warm body on his side. The cool and crisp autumn night made him shiver. 

“Tomorrow then?”

“We have classes tomorrow, dummy. Next week let’s go to Lotte World.”

When Baekhyun realized he had tucked himself inside Chanyeol’s personal space, almost leaning his head on his sturdy shoulders, he jerked back in horror and awkwardly cleared his throat. "Sorry.”

He stepped back a little, putting an appropriate amount of distance between them. Chanyeol was so warm, Baekhyun wanted to cry at the loss of heat.

Chanyeol excused himself for a moment, disappearing behind the thick crowd milling before them. Baekhyun leaned his back against a nearby tree as he waited for the taller to come back.

The city tour ended up for the benefit of both of them, as Baekhyun found himself enjoying the activities more than his neighbor did. Baekhyun hadn’t felt this much fun in a long, long while. It was a refreshing experience, being a tourist in your own country, marveling at its beauty from the eyes of someone who had never been here before, and from someone who had always been here, but never dared look. 

He wasn’t sure if it was the tour itself or was it Chanyeol’s company that made everything infinitely more fun. He wasn't sure if it was Seoul’s beautiful landmarks or was it Chanyeol’s goofy laughs and cheeky grins that took his breath away each time.

Baekhyun wasn’t sure, didn’t know what to feel, when the experience felt new but at the same time, strangely familiar. If Chanyeol really wasn’t Loey, then why did it feel like he was with his best friend all this time?

When Chanyeol came back, he was nursing two cups of hot cocoa in his hand, face flushed in gorgeous rosy pink probably from the brisk, chilly air. 

“Careful, it’s hot,” he warned, blowing the steam off Baekhyun’s cup as he handed it to him. “Thank you for today, Byun Baek.”

Baekhyun couldn’t help the blush that crept its way on his cheek, grateful for the warmth around his palms. He wasn’t sure if it was still the hot liquid that warmed his body, or if it came from something else entirely.

And maybe he was just hallucinating, but Chanyeol’s flushed face got even redder than it was minutes before. Unfortunately, though, he wasn’t able to stare long enough to confirm his thoughts for Chanyeol immediately ducked his head down. When he looked back up again, he was smiling handsomely, lips pulled back tightly on one side making his dimple appear more prominent. Baekhyun resisted the urge to poke the adorable dip it created.

For one brief, flashing moment, Baekhyun wondered why Chanyeol's smile had the same effect on him as Loey's smiles once did. How did one single smile from his neighbor made everything inside him queasy, heart palpitating erratically and mind going haywire with a million different thoughts running all at once, battling to be heard and acknowledged. 

But amidst his tumultuous thoughts, one stood out among the rest, one that even his heart echoed the same sentiments: _maybe he liked Chanyeol_ , maybe even more than just an acquaintance, maybe even greater than just a neighboring friend or a breakfast buddy. 

As fast as his racing thoughts invaded his mind, so was the creeping fear that wholly overtook this realization. Baekhyun felt scared. Scared to admit if all these were just a product of years of longing and sadness. Scared if this meant giving up on his feelings for Loey. Scared for he didn’t know, nothing was making sense.

Did he like Chanyeol because he was Chanyeol, or was he only seeing the image of his long lost love and best friend through him? 

Baekhyun found out that not only Chanyeol was hard not to like, but also impossible to say no to.

When a pipe leak at his bathroom caused major inconvenience and flooded his whole apartment, Baekhyun was left with no choice but to temporarily relocate until the maintenance guy fixed the source of the leak. 

"Come on, Baek. Where else would you go?" 

Baekhyun got the surprise of his life when he was welcomed by raging water the moment he opened his front door, wetting his shoes and the hem of his jeans, spilling all over the hallway. He immediately looked for his circuit breaker to cut his electrical line before he tracked the source of the water and found it was coming all the way from the bathroom, a long-standing faulty pipe finally burst and caused this ankle-deep flooding across his entire unit. 

He called for maintenance as he struggled to put pressure on the leaking pipe, attempting to do some last-minute damage control. But he could only do so much and ended up getting wet from head to toe. Baekhyun regretted not calling much earlier to have the pipe in question fixed, long before it had gotten worse to this. 

Luckily for him, nothing important was damaged or got wet, particularly his paintings and art materials that thankfully, he had stored in a higher place. However, Baekhyun had to move out for the night as Mr. Son, the maintenance guy, did his job and repaired the leaks, which according to him could probably take hours. It was already nearing midnight. 

"See? You're not planning to sleep here where your whole floor and furniture are still wet, are you?" Chanyeol, who came down as soon as he heard of the news, asked from his perch on the kitchen counter, feet dangling centimeters above the flood’s waterline. 

Seeing as he literally had no choice, Baekhyun massaged his nape and stared miserably at his indoor swimming pool, his feet wholly submerged in the water, "Is it really okay?" 

"Of course,” Chanyeol insisted as he hopped down from the counter, “I'll just tidy things up before you go in. Pack some of your stuff to go with you. See you upstairs?" 

Baekhyun could only manage an embarrassed nod as Chanyeol ruffled his wet hair before the taller braved the mini flood, wading out to the door and leaving Baekhyun in the middle of his living room, dripping wet and shivering, staring at Chanyeol's retreating figure. 

Was he doing the right thing? 

He was supposed to stay at Seunghwan's room on the ground floor for the time being but she called Chanyeol instead and asked the taller to pick him up and take him in for the night. 

_That traitor._

Son Seunghwan, the apartment landlady and the maintenance guy's daughter, was the first friend he made when he moved into Seoul. She was one of the few people that Baekhyun shared his personal life with and entrusted with his secrets, which also included his current predicament.

Seunghwan knew of Loey and the fact that he has been searching for his best friend for the last seven years, and how the sudden appearance of Chanyeol now made everything complicated and confusing. He sent a quick text of disapproval to his friend before rummaging through his drawer for a clean shirt and pajamas to go with him. 

Baekhyun didn't know what he was doing. Was he willingly letting himself take the bait? At the back of his mind, he knew nothing good would come out of staying the night with his neighbor. It would confuse him even more, especially after coming to a decision that he would sort his feelings first before making any move. 

Baekhyun’s phone vibrated with an incoming text.

 **From: SEUNGWANNIE**  
11:05 PM  
 _Stay with him for a night then you would know._  
 _Love you, Hyunnie._  
 _I’ll let you know once dad’s done fixing the leak ;)_

How was that easy?

As soon as they came back from the Namsan tower trip, Baekhyun had confided with his friend about his little _introspection_. Maybe he shouldn’t have. She could be a meddler sometimes. But right now, all he needed more than anything else was a long, hot shower. He’s still soaked all over and Baekhyun hated being cold. 

He couldn’t believe he was here once again, awkwardly twiddling behind Chanyeol’s closed door as he gathered the courage to actually knock, when just three months ago he was in the very same position, fuming mad and a complaint ready on the tip of his tongue. Time sure went by so fast. How did an annoying neighbor turn out to be someone Baekhyun saw in a different light now?

As he brought his hand up to finally knock, the door suddenly burst open with Chanyeol on the other side, marginally amused, “You’ve been standing behind my door for the last five minutes. I’ll save you the trouble. Come on in.”

“I’m not! How did you even know?” 

“I could see your shadow from the little space under my door, Byun Baek.”

Baekhyun decided to shut up after that so as not to further embarrass himself and shyly entered Chanyeol’s humble abode. 

Looking around, he was still left in awe as he did three months ago. Everything was the same as he remembered. The taller made his living space suited to his taste. No wonder he was so into interior design. His whole living room screams of Chanyeol. The neutral, earth colors of his room felt warm and inviting. _Just like him_ , he thought. Baekhyun briefly wondered if the coffee table at the centerpiece was made by him, too. But before he could ask his host though, Chanyeol’s phone suddenly rang. 

"Bathroom's second door down the hallway, I already drew you a hot bath so you can just dive right in," the taller immediately said as he smiled at him, before disappearing into his balcony to take the call, leaving the door open.

Baekhyun turned around and was about to go as instructed when he heard something that made him stop dead on his tracks.

_“Hey, Hyunnie.”_

Baekhyun felt everything around him halted at the mention of his name—time stopped moving, his heart stopped beating, and Chanyeol’s living room faded into nothing. 

_Hyunnie._ It was soft, almost to a whisper, but he still managed to catch it. Chanyeol said Hyunnie. Chanyeol knew his childhood name. Chanyeol called him by his childhood name, _h-how did Chanyeol—_

He immediately turned back around only to witness Chanyeol leaning his body against the balcony railing, his back facing him, and talking sweetly to his phone. 

_“I missed you, too. Are we all set for tomorrow?”_

_What?_

Suddenly, everything felt too much. Every emotion took over him all at once, drowning him in bouts of hope _, Chanyeol knew his name, it was Loey’s pet name for him,_ hurt, _but he was talking to the phone, he was referring to a different person,_ and confusion _, but he is Hyunnie, who is this other Hyunnie?_

Chanyeol vaguely resembled his Loey and he also knew a ‘Hyunnie’ in his life. Was fate just playing with him? Was this just pure coincidence? Were the _Loey and Hyun_ he knew different from _Chanyeol and his Hyunnie_? 

Nothing made sense anymore. Baekhyun’s mind was hazy, he couldn’t think past the sinking feeling that maybe, this was all just his body’s reaction after knowing Chanyeol already had someone else in his life.

Baekhyun didn’t mean to eavesdrop any further, so he quickly turned on his heels and went to shower. How he wished he had left sooner before he heard the faint whispers of _I love yous_ being exchanged on the phone.

What Baekhyun expected to be a calm and relaxing bath turned to be the most stressful one he ever had to take, because for the whole time he was soaked inside the taller’s bathtub, his mind kept screaming at him: _Chanyeol, Chanyeol, Chanyeol._

If only he could prolong his stay in this bathroom, if only he could just sleep inside this tub. Baekhyun didn’t want to leave the safety of this room, not when Chanyeol was just outside, kind Chanyeol who let him stay the night, annoying Chanyeol who invaded his life, _Chanyeol who was talking to whoever this Hyunnie was._

How funny it was that Chanyeol’s significant other was also named _Hyunnie_ , Loey’s very own pet name for him. Did Chanyeol not know that he was a Hyun too? He was Byun Baek _hyun_ , for crying out loud.  
  
Baekhyun lowered himself in the tub until his whole body and head were fully submerged underwater. He hated how he sounded so jealous and unreasonable in his head when he hadn’t even met this ‘Hyunnie’ in person. And what was he so being jealous for? It was not like he and Chanyeol were a thing. A day in his unrequited feelings and he already didn’t like what he was becoming. 

It was hard not to think of Chanyeol when he was literally inside the taller's bathroom. In every corner of this four-walled space, he could see Chanyeol. His razor, his aftershave, his facial creams, and whatnots. Hell, he even smelled like him right now; the aromatic smell of his raspberry shampoo clinging to his hair and the citrusy fragrance of his lemon body wash embracing his skin. 

If his mind could just shut up for one minute, just one whole minute of peace and quiet, he would greatly appreciate that. When Baekhyun could no longer hold his breath underwater, he resurfaced back, gasping for air and wheezing. 

Baekhyun heard faint sounds of approaching footsteps getting louder each time behind the bathroom door before a gentle knock, three raps and a worried, “Byun Baek, everything okay? You’ve been there for an hour.”

Oh, right _. Byun Baek._ Chanyeol never knew his full name. Not that it would matter anyway. Baekhyun called out a hurried, “I am. Sorry, I fell asleep for a while. I’m getting out now.”

He hated lying but was he supposed to say he stayed for a whole hour stewing in his own filth and unreasonable jealousy? Add that to the fact that he didn't want to be alone in a room with Chanyeol. This wouldn't have been a problem if it happened before, they were always together in his own unit downstairs during breakfast. But it was different now, Baekhyun's feelings meddled in the way and he didn't trust himself being alone with him. 

He slowly rose from the tub, dried himself with a towel, then changed into his pajamas. He wondered if he would ever get some sleep with all these thoughts running wild in his head. It was going to be a long night. 

Baekhyun took a deep breath before he finally braved the unknown, opening the door and greeting his neighbor with a forced smile plastered on his face, “Sorry, didn’t mean to worry you.”

“You know I have a perfectly good bed in here, no need to sleep in the tub,” Chanyeol said, chuckling.

Wide-eyed, Baekhyun reeled back in surprise, “Your bed?! I-I’m sleeping in your bed?”

“Yeah, where else?” Chanyeol nonchalantly replied like what he just blurted out was a common occurrence.

“B-but—how about you?”

“I have a pretty large bed because you know,” Chanyeol motioned to his legs, “We will fit, don't worry. Unless you’re not comfortable?”

Why was the idea of sleeping together, _in one bed_ , not surprising to him? 

And as if Chanyeol read what was on his mind, his neighbor was quick to add, "Oh, sorry. I'm just used to sharing a bed with guys. Back at home, I stayed in a dormitory inside my university. Since Aberdeen was in Scotland and I originally hailed from London, that's quite a commute. I have this guy roommate, Sehun. He always transferred to my bed for no apparent reason. I guess I just got used to that kind of lifestyle. Sorry about that," Chanyeol scratched his head, crinkling his nose cutely, "You can take the bed, I'll sleep on the couch."

"Oh no, I'll take the couch!" Baekhyun cried, "You live here. You should sleep in your own bed."

"No, I insist. You're my guest. You should sleep comfortably."

Baekhyun could only manage a meek nod, feeling the fight slowly leaving him. 

There he went again. Baekhyun just couldn't seem to win with anything that Chanyeol said. He blamed it on the eyes. His brown, shiny orbs spoke to him like some kind of magical spell, hypnotizing him into submission. 

As Baekhyun laid awake in Chanyeol's large bed, staring at the taller's ceiling, he briefly wondered how the other man was faring outside, cramped in a couch barely holding his freakishly long limbs. Baekhyun felt guilty. Chanyeol would probably wake up with sore muscles and a backache. 

Baekhyun had been in this bedroom before when Chanyeol was sick and he tended to him, but never once did he imagine he'd be lying in here, all alone, spreading his arms and legs like a starfish on the ocean floor. Chanyeol had been right, there was just so much space around him. Should he call him back? 

Baekhyun was pulled from his reverie by a vibration near the side of his head. He grabbed his phone and raised his hands in the air, checking it from above. He opened the message from an unregistered number, curious. 

**From: UNKNOWN NUMBER**  
12:45 AM  
 _Good night, Byun Baek._

Chanyeol? H-how did he get his number? Baekhyun’s cheeks suddenly felt hot. 

He was still reeling from the first message when another one popped-out on the screen, making his elbows and knees weak. His phone nearly kissed his face flat.

 **From: UNKNOWN NUMBER**  
12:46 AM  
 _You're pretty. Sweet dreams._

His heart was beating so fast, Baekhyun stared at his phone hard. He couldn't believe his eyes. Was he reading the right words? 

_Why—_

_How—_

_What even? What prompted this message?_

Baekhyun was thankful for the thin wall separating the both of them that Chanyeol couldn't see the blushing mess that he was right now. His whole body felt so warm all of a sudden. Chanyeol should definitely stay outside, backaches and neck pains be damned. 

But what bothered him even more was the memory of how Loey used to bid him good night the exact same way the message did. Why was Chanyeol making this so hard for him? Why couldn't he just be Chanyeol and stop doing things that reminded him of his childhood love? 

Baekhyun was about to return the message when another one from the same number popped-out on the screen. 

**From: UNKNOWN NUMBER**  
12:48 AM  
 _Sorry, wrongly sent!_

Oh. 

So was the message meant for the other Hyunnie?

Baekhyun turned to his front and buried his face on the pillow in a silent scream, kicking the air on his feet. _He was so stupid. Why would he even think the message was for him? Why would Chanyeol even call him pretty?_

Maybe Chanyeol really was his own person. He was exactly the kind of guy that made his heart flutter, only to take it back in a second and crush it into pieces. Loey would never do something like that. Baekhyun missed his childhood friend so bad. 

"Where are you Loey?" he whispered into the darkness of the night, at Chanyeol's ceiling, years of yearning dripping into his voice, "If you're still alive or you're near me, give me a sign."

Baekhyun never believed in one but he would take whatever he could get. A single tear from the corner of his eye rolled down against his temple and onto the plush white pillow.

The next morning after his impromptu sleepover at Chanyeol’s apartment, breakfast was already served, but the taller was nowhere to be found. He only found a yellow sticky note on the dining table beside a plate of grilled cheese sandwich and a spare key.

_I have to be somewhere important._   
_I leave the apartment to you._   
_If you need to go out, here’s the key._   
_Take care, Byun Baek._   
_I'll see you later._   
_\- Chanyeol_

That was actually a lot better. Baekhyun didn't know how to face the taller in the morning after that very awkward text exchange last night. He blushed at the memory.

He sent a short, curt reply after the taller’s last message.

 **To: CHANYEOL**  
09:27 AM  
 _It's okay ^^ Good night, Chanyeol._

It was definitely not okay. He wasn't able to sleep for hours, just tossing and turning around Chanyeol's bed all night long. 

At one point, he stood up and went out of the room to check on his neighbor. Chanyeol awkwardly made himself fit on the couch, his feet dangling outside one armrest while his head laid on the other quite uncomfortably, if the knitted eyebrows and the downturned lips were any indications. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest as he slept uninterruptedly. 

Baekhyun quietly padded towards him and retrieved the fallen blanket on the floor. He laid the blanket on top of Chanyeol's body before he crouched down at the couch's level and watched him sleep. 

Chanyeol was so handsome up close and personal, more so when he was awake, but Baekhyun, strangely enough, found a familiar comfort in his slumbering face. He brought a hand forward and gently eased the wrinkle on the taller's forehead, mimicking the action Chanyeol once did to him. 

When his face finally relaxed, only then was he able to breathe a sigh of relief, smiling at him that the taller couldn't see. He looked so peaceful and so calm. Baekhyun wanted to run his fingers on his long lashes, but decided against it. 

"Thank you for letting me stay the night, Chanyeol. I'm sorry, too," Baekhyun softly murmured before he stood up and went back to Chanyeol's room. 

Baekhyun tossed and turned for another hour, finding it much harder to get himself to sleep when all he could think about was Chanyeol's handsome slumbering face. Whenever he closed his eyes, there was Chanyeol's face behind his eyes. Whenever he opened them, he was still there, staring at him from the ceiling. 

Sleep finally befell upon him when dawn broke and the first light of the day stained the windows and walls of Chanyeol's room in swirling hues of orange and blue. The warm early morning glow finally lulled him to slumber. 

When he woke up after a grand total of 3 hours, Baekhyun vaguely remembered seeing Chanyeol in his dreams, too. He saw him there, at his and Loey's preschool playground, sitting by the swing. He was right there, seemingly waiting for someone. He called his name from a distance and Chanyeol instantly looked up. The taller opened his mouth and was about to say something when Baekhyun heard his alarm and gained his consciousness back.

What a night, indeed. A night full of Chanyeol, in his head, in his heart, in his sleep.

After eating the breakfast Chanyeol prepared, he fixed himself up and immediately went downstairs to check the state of his own apartment. Mr. Son was just coming out from his door when they met in the hallway.

“Oh good, you’re here!” Mr. Son said, lugging a black toolbox in one hand. 

“You’ve just finished?” he asked, concerned.

“Oh no, dear. I just went back to double-check if the pipe was still leaking. It’s good to go,” Mr. Son reassured, tapping his shoulder once, “but you really should’ve called before everything was too late.”

Baekhyun only smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“My daughter is inside, drying your floor. I’ll be going now.”

Baekhyun could hear a mechanical whirring from inside, probably from a hot air blower. 

“Thank you, Mr. Son!” he called out as he entered his unit. Seunghwan was in his living room, currently opening all the windows to air out the whole apartment. She noticed him in an instant, grinning widely.

“How was your night? Did you have a restful sleep?” she shouted over the loud whirring noise from across the room, the teasing tone behind her voice didn’t escape his ears.

Baekhyun only scowled at her, still feeling betrayed by what she did last night. He turned off the blower for a while so they could have a proper conversation.

“It was the worst. I only slept for three hours. Do you think I could have my apartment back before this afternoon? I really don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

“I’m afraid not. This could probably take a whole day drying out. And we’ll have someone come up to check your flooring, too. Don’t worry, it’s all covered in your renter’s insurance.”

Baekhyun deflated from the news, already dreading his way back upstairs, oh unless—

“Will you take care of all these? Can you look after my apartment for a day or two?” Baekhyun hopefully asked, brimming with excitement.

Seunghwan only looked at him skeptically, “Why? Where are you going?”

Baekhyun revelled in the first gust of wind that kissed his face the moment he alighted from the bus, his feet landing on familiar grounds.

The happy smile that wormed its way on his lips was brighter than the afternoon sun, glaring down and warming the busy pedestrians walking side-by-side with him. He really missed this place. It had been so long since the last time he visited his hometown. Three hours of commute was tiring, but it was definitely worth it.

Baekhyun decided to just go back home rather than stay for another day at Chanyeol’s apartment, even if he wasn’t there. He’d just die of boredom and sadness being stuck alone in that place as every corner literally reminded him of the one person he was trying so hard not to think of. Out of courtesy, he sent a quick message to Chanyeol informing him of his whereabouts, with the latter wishing him safe travels and reminding him to take care.

Maybe the taller was with the other Hyunnie right now, as he vaguely remembered hearing their conversation last night. Chanyeol never told him anything about his personal life besides what he already knew—the sob story of his strict and demanding parents and pursuing his real passion in life—and that friend he left in Aberdeen that he kept talking about. Maybe Hyunnie was that friend.

Baekhyun shook his head frustratingly, trying to get rid of unwanted, intruding thoughts of Chanyeol or his significant other. He went back here to finally have his peace of mind, but not even an hour had passed since he stepped in his safe space and he was back to thinking of him again. Baekhyun focused his eyes on the road ahead instead, it would just be a short walk from the bus station to his house.

His parents would be so delighted and surprised to see him here. He missed them so much, too. His mother was literally begging for him to visit every once in a while but he was just too busy in the last few months. It was his last year of studies after all, as he was down to preparing for his final examinations and the exhibit they were about to launch next month.

Baekhyun’s first order of business was to drop by his favorite bakery and buy his favorite powdered doughnuts. Oh, how we missed this sugary snack above anything else, maybe even more than his own parents. 

As he continued to walk his way home, Baekhyun almost dropped the box of powdered doughnuts in his hand when he saw a familiar figure from the corner of his eyes, standing before the swing set at his preschool’s playground he passed by. Baekhyun did a double-take. Even from a distance, he was sure he wouldn’t mistake that familiar back for anyone else; the height, the build, the stance, it was all pointing to one man. A man Baekhyun wished was just a trick of his mind. 

Dread slowly consumed his gut as he approached the man briskly, getting closer and closer, his hold of the box of doughnuts getting tighter and tighter he’d most likely crushed the carton by now. Baekhyun had to confirm. He didn’t have a good feeling about this. _Why was he here?_

When he was just inches away, the man turned around slowly, probably from the sound of approaching footsteps, and Baekhyun swore his breath hitched and his heart sunk further down in his stomach. 

Chanyeol was staring at him, equally shocked as he was but with an unmistakable glint in his eyes, almost as if he was happy to see him right here. When the taller said he’d see him later, Baekhyun didn’t expect it to be this soon. And why here of all places? _Why was he here?_

“Byun Baek, why are you here?”

 _I should be the one asking you that_ , Baekhyun woefully thought, but he ended up saying, “I live here. This is the hometown I was telling you about.”

The surprised and thrilled expression on Chanyeol’s face caught him off-guard, even more so when the taller excitedly said, “Really? Our vacation home is here, too. You know that big house overlooking the seashore with a lighthouse nearby? That’s where we reside.”

_No._

No no no no. That was Loey’s residence, that had always been Loey and his family’s residence. Had he been gone for so long that he never knew they sold the mansion? Nothing was making sense anymore and his head was going to burst with all these thoughts running rampant in his mind.

“S-since when?” Baekhyun dreadfully asked, sandwiching the box of powdered doughnuts between his arms and chest tightly.

“Since forever? I was born here in this town, but grew up in Europe. I never knew we had the same hometown all this time, Byun Baek.” 

And so did he. _How is this possible?_

Baekhyun ended up questioning everything that he had known all his life. Was Loey just a figment of his imagination? Did eight years of friendship between him and Loey not happen? His memories of his childhood best friend…were all those just a lie? 

He had so many questions piling up in his mind that he didn’t know the answer to, scared to know the answer to, but amidst the tight constricting in his chest, his fuzzy mind, and the rapidly dwindling air around him making it hard for Baekhyun to breathe, there was only one question he desperately wanted to know the answer to.

_Were Chanyeol and Loey just one person all along?_

But how was this possible? If he really was Loey, why didn’t he recognize him? He was Little Hyunnie, the little boy he gave his yellow crayon to. He was Hyun, the kid he grew up, played, and ate powdered doughnuts with. He was Byun Baekhyun, his best friend, the man he promised he would return to no matter what happened. He was the Hyun of _Loey and Hyun_. He owned the other half of their matching friendship bracelet. 

Baekhyun pocketed his hand and gripped the bracelet inside, feeling its letter blocks scratching the surface of his palms. Loey was real. Loey gave this to him. Touching the bracelet somehow calmed his racing mind and heart, grounded him back to reality. 

He stared at the man in front of him, this man he never really knew the true identity. A man who remained a big mystery no matter how much of his life he had shared with him. Chanyeol came to his life three months ago and ever since then, he was only muddled with contradicting thoughts and confusing feelings. Chanyeol was an enigma he was trying so hard to decipher but had failed to do. 

_Who are you, Chanyeol? Who are you really?_

Just when he thought nothing would top the confusion he was feeling at the moment, Chanyeol uttered the last straw that ultimately shattered everything Baekhyun believed in.

“Hyun, over here!”

Baekhyun turned back around and saw a blonde man almost his height, skipping towards their direction. When the guy finally reached them, the man Chanyeol called Hyun flashed him the prettiest smile he ever saw, eyes disappearing into tiny slits. 

Baekhyun was left in awe. Up close, he looked so breathtakingly beautiful with his soft, feminine features, he could almost pass as a girl. He was slim, fair-skinned, and had sparkly eyes. Was he the same person on the call last night, Chanyeol’s Hyunnie? Chanyeol wasn’t lying then when he had wrongly sent the text message. He really was pretty.

But as he continued to stare at the blonde beauty before him, Baekhyun was muddled with the nagging feeling that he had seen him somewhere before. 

“I told you to call me Luhan,” the beautiful man chided, squinting playfully at Chanyeol. The man turned to him then, holding an arm out and an apologetic smile on his face.

“Sorry. Yeollie here prefers calling me by my childhood name. But my real name is Luhan. Nice to meet you…” the blonde man trailed, but he could only focus on his uttered name. 

Luhan. The name sounded familiar. Baekhyun racked his brain for anything, trying to recall the familiar name but nothing was coming up in his head.

That was when Baekhyun’s gaze accidentally dropped down to Luhan’s outstretched hand, his eyes immediately zeroing on the colorful beaded bracelet hugging his slim wrist, almost the same as the one he had in his pocket. _Almost_.

From his side, he heard Chanyeol helpfully respond in his stead, “He’s Byun Baek. Remember the neighbor I talked to you about?” 

Baekhyun didn’t hear what Luhan said next as he slowly drowned out their voices and left staring lifelessly at the bracelet dangling on the latter’s hand, vaguely similar to the one in his pocket with a few exceptions, until Chanyeol nudged an elbow against his arm and he lost his focus again. “Hey, are you okay?”

Baekhyun blinked back and straightened himself up as he grabbed the offered hand and lightly shook it. In his curiosity, he twisted their connected hands so he could see the bracelet better, but it was too late to wish he shouldn’t have because what he saw was something he would never be prepared for. 

Baekhyun couldn’t believe his eyes. _L O E Y_ , the bracelet read. 

Like he was struck by a bolt of jagged powerful lightning, a bulb inside his head finally lit up. _He remembered now._ The man he was shaking hands with was Luhan, Loey’s family friend, _Luhan_. The person who helped Loey make their friendship bracelets when they were twelve, the one in his pocket and the one—

Baekhyun swiveled his head to the side and that's the only time he noticed Chanyeol was also wearing a bracelet on his right arm. But it looked more identical to the one on his pocket than the one on Luhan’s wrist. Baekhyun’s bracelet beads were alternating colors of orange, white, and blue, whereas Luhan’s were orange, white, and black.

Chanyeol’s bracelet had the same colors, style, and arrangement as his. 

_So Chanyeol was—all along he was..._

The weight of his sudden realization made Baekhyun buckle and staggered backward; he felt his knees going weak and giving out as he tried to get away from them one agonizing step at a time, but Chanyeol was quick to catch him before he could completely fall, caging him in his arms and helping him regain his footing. He felt a muscled arm wrapping around his upper back and a hand settling on his shoulder, gripping protectively. Baekhyun hissed like he had been burned. 

“Baek, are you okay?” 

Baekhyun heard the worried voice of his neighbor but there was only one thing that he could focus on right now. He looked down at the hand on his shoulder where he could finally see the beaded bracelet and its lettered blocks spelling his name, _his childhood name_ , staring back at him in its full glowing glory. 

And that’s when it finally sunk in. Baekhyun brought his head up and stared at the pair of eyes he had waited for so _so_ long to find its way back to him.

“You’re—”

***

“Loyi!!” Sejoo squeals excitedly, jumping up and down inside Chanyeol’s embrace.

The tired father holds his arms tightly around the squirming boy to keep him down, shushing him softly, “Sejoo-ya, let’s not be so loud or your sister will wake up.”

However, the loud scream already woke the little girl up as Sera squirmed on his husband’s chest, rubbing her eyes drowsily and mumbling, “Dada…”

She stands up on Baekhyun’s lap and climbs on his chest until she can settle her head comfortably against his shoulder, wrapping her tiny arms securely around his neck. The other tired father can only sigh in defeat and exhaustion, cradling his baby girl’s head in his soft palm. 

They’ve been talking and story-telling for the last five hours, but the children remain wide awake, particularly his tough little boy, still brimming with excessive energy. Sera fell asleep not too long ago, but she has always been a light sleeper. Baekhyun peers down at his baby girl, smiling at her as she blinks sleepily at him. He pats her bum gently to bring her back to sleep.

Baekhyun regrets letting his babies share a thin slice of chocolate cake after their dinner; the pleading eyes and pouty lips have once again won over his better judgment. Never again, he berates and reminds himself that he is still the parent here. He should not give in to giggles and kisses no matter how adorable and enticing they are.

The two parents have run-out of stories to tell them from the baby book as Chanyeol has already mentioned everything there is. From Baekhyun’s weird cravings which included a nasty combination of kimchi pasta and soy milk—mixed, not eaten separately, their monthly prenatal check-ups which Baekhyun always looked forward to because of the sonograms, his random mood swings, and even the times when his husband needs extra loving, phrased appropriately for their very young minds and omitted the explicit details. 

Chanyeol has totally forgotten that he included a post-sex polaroid photo of a naked Baekhyun in there, with his 30-weeks round belly and his heavy swollen breasts on full display, the sheets only covering his nether regions. Baekhyun’s post-sex glow combined with his pregnancy glow made him so much irresistible and ethereal in Chanyeol’s eyes that he couldn’t help but take a reminder of that night, but of course, granted with full permission.

It was taken right after a slow and sensual round of sex, where his husband was on his side as Chanyeol spooned him from behind, his dick high-up the pregnant man’s spent hole. Baekhyun had been experiencing difficulty sleeping since he entered his third trimester and cockwarming was the most effective method they have tried that actually worked. Baekhyun had his eyes closed but was aware of the shutter sounds and camera clicks, playfully giggling as Chanyeol took a shot of them together, naked in bed and gleaming with sweat.

Chanyeol was too late to cover the explicit photo or to turn the page fast enough before the twins noticed their Dada’s seemingly sleeping form, to which they both pointed out and exclaimed, _“Dada nay-kay!”_ from Sejoo and an excited _“Milk!”_ from Sera, all at the same time.

Chanyeol received a pinch to his side and a demand to peel it off the scrapbook immediately, the offending photo now finding a new home inside the safety of his wallet. Thankfully, the twins didn’t ask any further as their attention turned to another polaroid photo where Chanyeol was painting the nursery room in pastel yellow and green. 

He has also shown the twins a series of sonogram photos of Baekhyun’s growing tummy throughout his pregnancy and arranged chronologically, which wasn’t received fairly well for all they could see were black and white blobs and splotches they didn’t understand and appreciate. The twins loved seeing colors and promptly ignored Baekhyun’s beloved sonograms.

They have gone through the last page of the baby book, where a lone polaroid photo is smack-dabbed in the middle, of Sera and Sejoo smiling sweetly in the camera with their sparse baby teeth as they sit on the full-bucket infant swing set on Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s preschool playground back in their hometown. It was on their first birthday when the two husbands brought their children back to see their grandparents on Baekhyun’s side of the family.

The moment Sejoo saw their photo, he started screaming _‘Loyi’_ and made Chanyeol instantly confused. “Sejoo-ya, where did you hear that? Why do you know Loey?”

Sejoo brings his palms on Chanyeol’s cheeks and squishes them together, babbling, “Dada weewing.”

Chanyeol looks to his left, confusion written across his face as Baekhyun giggles cutely, “It was me, Yeol. I told them about my friend Loey and how we always played on the swing.”

“Dada and Loyi wonut, too,” Sera mumbles softly from Baekhyun’s shoulder, trying to fight the sleep that is slowly taking over her again.

“Yes, baby. Loey and I also ate doughnuts.”

Chanyeol smiles at that and closes the baby book, putting it on the nightstand before holding Sejoo up by his armpits, hoists him up and suspends him in the air, “Okay, what do we do now? This little man is not sleepy yet.”

Sejoo only giggles and kicks the empty air below his feet, “Daddy fly!”

Which Chanyeol answers with a strict, “No more playing, Sejoo. Superman has to sleep too.”

“I honestly don’t know what to do,” Baekhyun tiredly replies as he slumps backward against the headboard and keeps on patting Sera gently. He has been successful so far as the little girl only tightens her hold to his neck, which was a good sign for she's trying to find a comfortable position, her little droopy eyes gradually getting heavier and heavier by the minute. Baekhyun hums softly and rocks his body side to side. 

When Chanyeol settles his son back in his lap, Sejoo curiously asks, “Where...where Loyi, Daddy?”

Chanyeol is taken aback by the sudden query but he answers nonetheless, “Loey was lost, Sejoo-ya,” a sad smile pulling on his face as he fixes the hood of the tiger onesie on Sejoo’s head. Then, he looks to his left and stares at Baekhyun lovingly, “But it’s okay now. Loey has found his way back home.”

***  
 **11 years ago**

Just when Baekhyun thought he had finally found Loey, it was Chanyeol that disappeared the very next day. 

He hadn’t seen his neighbor for a whole month ever since their fateful encounter, where he saw and met the other Hyu— _Luhan_ , for the first time at their preschool's playground. 

Baekhyun couldn’t believe how all this time, Loey was just right here with him. He couldn't believe he had unknowingly found the person he was looking for so long. His suspicions were right, his instincts were right, _Chanyeol and Loey were one and the same._

However, when he told the truth about himself and how he was the real Hyun, he had not expected the cold stare that was directed at him and the blatant dismissal of his truth. 

"Don't joke, Byun Baek. It's not funny," Chanyeol had said, regarding him with a blank stare Baekhyun wished he hadn’t seen. There was no emotion in his eyes, no understanding, no recognition, no nothing. 

“My full name is Byun Baekhyun. You are my best friend, as I am every bit as much as yours. We’ve gone through preschool, elementary, and the better half of high school together, Loey. We grew up together. I am Hyun. I am your Hyunnie, please believe me.”

Baekhyun wasn’t able to hold back the tears anymore, as a single tear fell the moment he saw Chanyeol gaze at Luhan the way he had wanted the taller to look at him. Chanyeol was confused and lost, he could see that in his eyes, but Baekhyun hadn’t missed the look in those very orbs that seemed to say, _‘I’ll only believe in you,’_ as he focused on the blonde man beside him instead. 

And as if the empty stares weren’t painful enough, Chanyeol held Luhan’s hand and brushed past him without another glance, bumping into his shoulders rather harshly and dragging Luhan with him behind.

Every step Chanyeol took further away was a punch against his already badly beaten heart. His best friend, his greatest love, was walking away from him again. Baekhyun could hear his heart breaking and weeping in agony, but he couldn't give up just yet. He already lost him once, he’s not losing him again. 

In a last attempt to bring back the person he had waited for all his life, for eight longing years, Baekhyun sharply turned back around, calling his rightful name.

“Loey!”

Baekhyun never thought he’d say this name again out loud, for years he waited and dreamed for this very moment to come alive. Loey was no longer just a memory anymore. He was right here, just inches away from him, stopping abruptly at the mention of his name. 

Baekhyun took his bracelet out from the inside of his pocket, extending his arm forward and opening his palms.

“If my words aren’t enough, then I hope this is.”

Baekhyun saw Chanyeol letting go of Luhan’s hand before he slowly turned his head back, gaze instantly locking at the circular object on his outstretched palm. For a brief moment, he saw a glint of recognition flashing behind the taller’s eyes, a tiny gleam, a ray of hope that was slowly mending his bruised heart.

“You’re lying.” 

But Baekhyun was wrong when he had hoped too soon. 

“You saw me,” Baekhyun refuted, _begged_ , for Chanyeol to believe him, “When we first met, you saw me wearing this, didn't you? You gripped my hand tight and asked me where I got this. You gave this to me when we were fifteen, Loey. You owned my name, while I owned yours. You're my Loey and I'm your Hyun.”

He paused to take a deep breath before he continued, “You told me once, as long as I have this, you’ll return to me. You left me with your name so I’ll always remember you even if you’re not there. I did, Loey. I waited for you to come back. I always have. Your sister, she knows this. She—” 

"Enough!"

Baekhyun watched as Chanyeol's face slowly lit up in recollection, like the flicker of a newly lighted candle as the flame burned the wick, something illuminated in the taller's eyes. But then, he suddenly closed his eyes and cradled his head in his large palms, grunting in pain and bending forward.

“Chanyeol!” Luhan quickly ran to Chanyeol’s side and helped the man, running his palm on his back in smooth circles, “Hey, Yeol, I’m here. It’s okay. Listen to my voice. I’m here.”

Chanyeol was pulling his hair out and groaning in pain, and it pierced through Baekhyun's heart. He was getting terrified as he couldn't do anything but watch. _What is happening?_

Baekhyun walked closer to the two and experimentally held an arm out to touch his best friend, “Chanyeol what—”

“We’re leaving,” Luhan cut him off rudely, snarling. The blonde man coaxed the taller to get up so they could go. 

But as Chanyeol finally straightened up, he forcefully pushed Luhan’s hands off his body, staggering backward to get away, yelling, “Don’t touch me!”

Baekhyun heard the sharp intake of breath the blonde man let out, but his focus was sorely on Chanyeol, on his bloodshot eyes, his disheveled hair, on his rigid, shaking body. The taller was fuming mad, breathing hard, and looking at Luhan with so much contempt and disgust. 

Then Chanyeol shifted his gaze to him and Baekhyun flinched, suddenly terrified of his best friend's behavior. However, he hadn’t expected for the taller’s hardened features to soften the moment their eyes locked, his anger slowly dissipating as his shallow breathing gradually returned to normal. 

There was a spark of familiarity and recognition behind those brown orbs he often found himself getting lost into, but right now, Baekhyun felt like he was the one found. 

He meant to ask if he was okay, to say something, anything, but he remained rooted on the ground, mum and just stared back. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t lay a finger no matter how much he’s itching to touch.

Baekhyun didn't know that he was crying until a rough hand found its way on his cheek, caressing the dampened skin. A long finger tenderly climbed up the wet patch, settling below his lower lash and catching the stray tears that were threatening to fall. 

Baekhyun heard a soft, a pitch higher than a whisper, _"Don't cry, Hyunnie."_

And the next thing he knew, he was watching Chanyeol’s broad back retreating farther away from him; Chanyeol was once again running away.

Baekhyun hadn't seen him since. 

Another grueling month of waiting later, he found himself outside the taller's apartment, slipping an invitation under his door. Chanyeol didn't come home for the last month, he hadn't heard from him since then, but he was still trying his luck.

Baekhyun fiddled with the bracelet on his wrist as he stared at Chanyeol's closed door. He still didn't know what happened for the last eight years, why he suddenly disappeared, why he didn't remember him, why he ran away again. 

But Baekhyun remained hopeful, for Loey was always worth the wait. 

***

“Daddy why Loyi, why Loyi run?”

The last man standing between the two hyperactive kids, Sejoo eagerly asks in the arms of his father walking in mindless circles around their balcony overlooking Baekhyun’s sleeping garden and the silent moon watching over them from above. 

Baekhyun is putting down their little girl in the children’s room next door as he tries to put Sejoo to sleep. Sera has completely succumbed to the inviting arms of slumber in the middle of their aimless roaming around the room as the parents tell the story of Hyun and Loey’s reunion. Chanyeol and Sejoo ultimately found themselves on the balcony, lured by the sounds of chirping crickets far into the thicket of trees. 

It was chilly outside, but luckily, Sejoo’s tiger onesie was thick enough to warm the ever-curious boy playing with the tiger ears above his hood. “Why, why—why Loyi run and leave Dada?”

“If you promise to sleep after this, Daddy will tell you. Promise?” 

Chanyeol holds out his big pinky to his son and Sejoo without another word, hooks his own tiny finger around it. They bring their thumbs together as their pinkies stay twined. 

“Pwomise, Daddy.”

“Seal the promise Sejoo-ya, so Daddy knows you won’t break it.”

Sejoo then kisses their connected thumbs, smacking his lips audibly.

“Good boy,” Chanyeol coos, kissing the crown of his son’s head. He adjusts the little boy in his left arm and places his fragile head on his shoulder as he looks at the dark beyond. 

He hears shuffling behind them, the sound of an opening door then soft footfalls getting louder and closer. Chanyeol feels dainty arms circling his waist from behind, then a soft thud of a plump cheek propping itself on the other side of his shoulder Sejoo isn’t leaning on.

“What are you guys talking about?” Baekhyun asks softly, peeking at his little boy on the other side over Chanyeol’s shoulder. He has to tiptoe to reach Chanyeol’s height. 

“Our Joojoo is curious why Loey ran away and left. I was just about to tell him why because after this, Joojoo promised he’s going to sleep and join her sister in the crib. Right, my son?”

“Yes, Daddy,” the boy meekly answers, nodding his head.

“Hmm, okay. I want to hear, too. Why did Loey run, Daddy?” Baekhyun urged, settling his cheek comfortably against his shoulder once again.

The taller breathes in the smell of Baekhyun’s roses as a strong gust of wind wafts the fragrance closer to them. Baekhyun shivers against the cold night air and Chanyeol is quick to notice as his husband only tightens his embrace around his waist.

“Should we go in?”

“No, I’m fine,” Baekhyun reassures and peeks at his son again, “Sejoo-ya, are you cold baby?”

“Nwo,” the baby boy answers, but he wraps his arms around Chanyeol’s neck tightly, huddling for warmth. The two parents chuckle at their son’s antics. 

“We’ll stay here for a little bit then,” Chanyeol says as he settles his free hand above one of Baekhyun’s own that is wrapped around his waist. Baekhyun entwines their fingers together, as Chanyeol begins his story.

“Loey didn’t want to run away, but he was scared and confused, Sejoo. He didn’t know who to believe in, he didn’t know who’s telling the truth. So he went away to clear his mind, to find some answers.”

“Where Loyi go, Daddy?”

***  
 **11 years ago**

Baekhyun didn’t know where Loey went, but the one person he least expected to see came knocking on his door a week before his art exhibit launch. 

He was surprised to see Luhan outside his apartment door, waiting for him, a light flush on his cheeks probably from the cold. 

“Hi,” greeted the blonde man,

There was a strange quality to the way Chanyeol’s boyfriend carried himself, he was prim and proper, standing tall and proud. Even when they were almost the same height and build, Baekhyun felt small. He was a little too intimidating if he were to be honest. He hadn’t paid much attention the first time they met beside the admiration of his obvious beauty, and it was only now that he felt a little bit scared of him being here despite it being his territory. _Why is he here?_

Baekhyun ignored the gnawing feeling of uncertainty and condescension he felt his guest radiated, and let Luhan inside his humble home. If there was one person who would know where Loey was, then it would be him. 

“Before you ask, I don’t know where Loey is at the moment. I’m clueless as you are.” 

He hadn’t even offered a seat or some refreshments yet, but the blonde man already went straight to the point. Luhan didn't like wasting his time, Baekhyun figured. And was his face that telling? 

“Uh,” Baekhyun croaked, pointing to his couch, “Take a seat first. Can I get you anything?”

Luhan did as instructed, sitting primly and crossing one leg over the other. “Water would be fine.” 

After Baekhyun came back to get a glass of water for his guest, he sat beside him on the couch but stared straight ahead. He couldn’t bring himself to look at him. Baekhyun felt small, insignificant, _a stranger_. This was Chanyeol’s boyfriend beside him. The man who pretended to be him for the last eight years. How was he supposed to feel?

He wanted to be angry at him for stealing his identity, for using his own name, but at the same time, he didn’t. Baekhyun was just thankful Loey had someone else beside him all those years that he was gone, even if it meant taking away what was supposed to be his. Even if Luhan took away his role and identity. 

It was still bugging him how Loey didn’t know; why Chanyeol never recognized him. There must be a reason. Maybe he could get his answers here, right now. Luhan must know something. 

The tension was palpable and awkward between them, no one was talking for the first few minutes until Baekhyun heard Luhan clearing his throat and the clink of glass down his low table. 

“I apologize for coming here unannounced but there’s something I need to tell you.”

From his peripheral, Baekhyun could see his guest turning slightly to the side to face him, tone calm but foreboding. 

“Chanyeol,” Luhan started, pausing for a moment, “or _Loey_ then got into a car accident 8 years ago.”

Baekhyun felt his throat closing like he just stopped breathing for a moment. _What did he just say?_ He whipped his head towards Luhan’s direction so fast it made him a little woozy, spluttering, _“W-what did you say? H-how? What?”_

He blurted that out of the blue without so much as a warning or a foreword, but Luhan only continued, “Do you remember the last time you saw him?”

Baekhyun did, how could he not when it was the same moment he repeatedly played in his head. His last memories of Loey, of the last time he saw him. He came with Yoora noona then. All three of them met, they were together. Baekhyun remembered sending them off after they spent the whole day together.

“It happened that night. Their car got hit by an approaching delivery truck that swerved from the opposite lane on their way back to Seoul. Drunk driver. It set off a chain of crashes and the Park’s car was at the forefront of the collision. Their car got hit from the front and the back. Two people died that night. The truck driver and...” Luhan paused, closing his eyes, "...the driver and Loey's sister, Yoora."

“ _What_ ,” Baekhyun cried in utter disbelief and confusion, feeling sick to his core. His stomach twisted in painful, uncomfortable knots. He felt like retching. His hand flew to his mouth. Yoora— _Yoora noona died eight years ago…_

He never knew the last time he saw her was already the last time. She had been nothing but kind to him, how— _how cruel was this_. Baekhyun could only listen as he mourned for the loss of a loved one and a beautiful soul, hot tears streaming down endlessly as he could no longer hold back. Why did he know this only now? Loey must have been—

_Loey._

“The truck driver and Yoora died at the scene. While Loey—” Baekhyun could only imagine how it must be a nightmare recalling everything that happened eight years ago as he saw Luhan heaved a deep heavy breath each time. “Loey suffered from a traumatic brain injury from the crash and went into a coma shortly after, for two long months. My family was his parents’ immediate contact here in Korea and asked us to look after him as they couldn’t just leave their company behind.”

 _How—how did he not know this?_ Baekhyun wasn’t sure he could even think after this shocking tragedy. 

"You must be asking why you haven’t heard any of these from the last eight years? Loey’s parents went to great lengths to hide the accident from the whole world. That’s why the Park siblings were never mentioned on the local news or any other forms of media when the crash happened. They buried Yoora silently and kept Loey’s state hidden from the public eye. 

“The Park Family is very influential and powerful, they can do everything that they wish to do at the snap of a finger. In that light, their parents protected their reputation more than anything else, even at the cost of their own children’s happiness. I assume you knew about Yoora’s disownment?”

Baekhyun could only manage a meek nod. It was what brought Loey to Seoul. His whole body felt like jelly smeared on the floor, he felt so weak.

“We never thought Loey would ever wake up again, but thankfully he did. After two months he did. But as soon as he woke up, he suffered from post-traumatic amnesia. The doctor said it was inevitable after that massive shock his body and brain went into, but it was only temporary. He was awake and conscious, but he couldn't remember anything at all, particularly the accident and the events that happened that day. He couldn’t recognize his parents, he couldn’t remember me. His parents used this opportunity to rewire his brain, fed him with lies, false stories, a new identity, but not deviating too much from the old Loey. They changed his name, too.”

 _Park Chanyeol_ , Baekhyun understood now.

“They stripped all records of him prior to the accident that mentioned his old name. It was like Loey didn’t exist. Everything was changed to Park Chanyeol. A month after he woke up, he slowly recovered his memories but unfortunately, some remained permanently forgotten. Until now, Chanyeol never knew he had a sister, _a dead sister_. His memories of his sister died with her after the accident. His parents decided to let it be, for his own sake, to prevent something happening like Yoora once did.”

When Baekhyun only gave him a confused look, Luhan clarified, “When she eloped and the disownment that followed? They thought her sister was a bad influence on him.”

 _Oh god_ , Baekhyun thought. _How could they do this to him?_ How about Yoora’s family? His baby boy? What happened to them now?

But the biggest question that bothered him so much, “Am I—including me? He f-forgot about me too?”

Luhan shook his head, smiling sadly, “No. Chanyeol’s memories of you remained intact. He knew you, he knew his best friend and all your past. The only thing though, he couldn’t remember your face.”

At that moment, Baekhyun felt like falling into a deep abyss, the very ground he was on shattering in half, crumbling into pieces beneath his feet and pulling him down with it. _Is this why…_

Everything was falling into place now, why he wasn’t able to recognize him the first time they met, why he didn’t know. Chanyeol could have looked for him if only he remembered his face. Then that meant—

“So you pretended to be me,” Baekhyun accused, digging his blunt nails into his palm. 

He could no longer help the venom in his voice for he was so angry and frustrated that all of these happened to an innocent, kind man. All Chanyeol did was to love. He loved his sister, he loved his best friend. Why would they keep the truth from him? All for a stupid reputation? 

All this time, Chanyeol could have known him and his sister, a dead sister he never knew existed. They stripped him of his freedom, of his right to decide for himself. How heartless and selfish of his parents to treat their own son like this, like a puppet following their every whim. 

Baekhyun was so angry. At the world, at the drunk driver, at the circumstances that led to this, at Chanyeol’s parents; angry and sad at the lost years they could’ve spent together. Baekhyun's heart broke for his best friend. Chanyeol was kept in the dark for eight long years.

“It wasn’t my intention,” Luhan whispered, but it was loud enough for Baekhyun to catch, even the shy hint of guilt in his otherwise calm and collected demeanor. The blonde man ducked his head down as if ashamed. It was the first sign of weakness and vulnerability Luhan showed in front of him. 

Luhan continued after a long pause, bringing his head up and schooling his face back to serene nonchalance, “When Chanyeol was in a coma, I was there the entire time. I took care of him, stayed with him. Often, I would see him crying. While in a coma, he cried. So I talked to him whenever he did, but the only thing that made the cryings stop was when I mentioned your name. It was the first ray of hope that I got after a month of no response from him.

"When we were kids, he used to tell me about you, a lot. That's why I knew your name. There was this kid that he talked about like rainbows and sunshine. He mentioned you several times whenever he could, _Hyunnie this, Hyunnie that._ He never shut up," Luhan chuckled, a tiny smile creeping on his face before he turned all serious again, looking directly in Baekhyun's eyes, "I helped him make your friendship bracelets. That’s when I remembered, I kept the spares that we made, the ones that didn’t make the cut. I went back home and wore one, a LOEY bracelet.”

Luhan retrieved something from his pocket and showed it to him. It was the bracelet he wore the last time they met, like he the one he owned, but it was different. 

"The day Chanyeol woke up from the coma, he couldn’t recognize anything, he didn’t even know me. He was thrashing in the hospital bed, agitated, angry, and very emotional. After that, he just stared into blank space. He barely talked. It was when his parents took advantage of his fragileness and vulnerability, it was then when they drilled the lies that he came to know today. 

"Then one day, roughly a month after he woke up, the first thing he recognized was the bracelet I was wearing. He saw his own name, smiled at me, and called me Hyun. That was the start of it. I tried to deny it, but his parents were there beside me and fed him with another lie. They begged me to pretend for his sake. I didn't want to at first, but I figured, his memories were slowly flooding back to him. He'll know for himself the truth soon enough. 

"That's when they decided to bring him to London, to recuperate and live there permanently. I went with them, too, after Chanyeol’s insistence. For the first few months, it went fine, I didn’t mind pretending because I believed it would slowly come back to him, maybe he just needed a little more time. But I thought wrong, as a year later and he still referred to me as Hyun. Once, I showed him a picture of you that I stashed after his parents burned all his childhood memorabilia. I showed him your picture, but he just stared at it and asked me who that was."

Luhan pulled a photo from his pocket and handed it to Baekhyun. It was old, crumpled, and frayed at the edges, but the grin he wore was as bright as the morning sun, his teeth showing and eyes disappearing into twin crescents moons despite the long strip of chocolate syrup smeared on his cheek. 

Baekhyun remembered this. It was taken during Loey’s sister’s wedding. As they were still minors back then, they were forbidden to drink champagne so they hung-out by the chocolate fountain beside the 5-tier wedding cake. He looked all spiffy and dapper in his tuxedo that Yoora noona bought for him. Loey took the photo himself, seconds after he had told Baekhyun he looked pretty that day then dipped his finger on the chocolate fountain and smeared it on his cheek.

Looking at it again, it put a smile on Baekhyun’s face.

“I asked every day if he couldn’t really remember the boy in the picture, and his answer stayed the same, until he eventually got angry so I never brought it up again. He remembered everything about you, but he couldn’t put a face on it. All he saw was a blank, blurred face when he tried recalling his memories. And when he saw me with the bracelet, he just assumed I was you. I felt guilty at first...” Luhan paused, gulping, “But then I flourished from all the attention he was giving me. He doted on me, he was caring, he loved me. And I liked it. So I just kept it that way. I’m sorry, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun wanted to get mad, to scream, to cry. But all he ever felt at the moment was extreme sadness and pity. Instead of being angry, he felt sorry for this beautiful man in front of him who felt the need to pretend just to receive the attention and love he so much craved. Why Luhan did that, he didn’t know. He would rather not know, for he was in no place to question someone else’s motives for acting the way they did. But it didn’t mean he’d be able to forgive that easily, either. 

For eight years, he suffered alone. He was miserable, confused, left in the dark. He even came to the point when he thought Loey was already dead. After a moment of silence and Baekhyun giving him a blank look, Luhan carried on. 

"I didn't come here to ask for your forgiveness. I just wanted to come clean and put an end to this lie I helped propagate. I enabled his parents' wishes because I was not thinking better at that time. I was only fifteen. I only wanted what's best for Chanyeol. I thought they cared for him, loved him because he was their son, but all this time, they were just trying to keep an heir alive, a successor to continue everything they've built from the ground up. He was the future of the Park Industries, after all. 

"And I realized that now, how wrong I was, when he suddenly went missing and ran away from home. He didn’t say anything, he didn't tell me about his plans. I never knew he was feeling this way all this time. When I realized what was happening, it was already too late. I failed him as a friend."

Baekhyun didn't know where the sudden courage came from, but after sitting there for so long, listening and trying to absorb everything that Luhan told him for the past hour, this he knew from the heart, without having the need to think at all. 

“He never ran away from home. _He came back home._ He came back to me. This has always been Loey’s home. You, his parents, you all took him away from where rightfully belongs. And maybe, that’s where our difference lies. You may be me in his eyes but you will never be me in spirit. If I were there, I would’ve known. I would’ve seen it when he was starting to act differently. I would’ve helped him at the first sign of trouble. I would’ve given him my support when he needed it the most.”

Luhan could only stare as he took in everything that Baekhyun said. After a while, the blonde man scooched closer to him and wrapped his arms around his torso, freezing him in place. Baekhyun blinked a couple of times, surprised by the sudden gesture. He slowly brought his hand up, but remained hovering over the man’s back. 

“I’m sorry, Hyun-ah. I really am.”

When Luhan pulled back, the man grabbed his hand and held it between his own.

“Pretending to be you came with a cost. I get to be with him, I get to hold him. But he never really looked at me the way I have always wanted him to. Deep inside I know, he was really in love with the idea of you. He’s in love with the memories of you, he’s in love with the thought of you. He never really saw me as Luhan, but always as Hyun. 

“Sometimes, I resent it when he calls me Hyun. I never liked it when he called me your name for it only reminded me that I’m living in someone else’s shoes. But it was the only way to have him by my side. I thought someday, he might finally see me for who I really am. But in the end, it was still you. He found you without really knowing.”

Luhan chuckled, letting go of his hand, “I’m going back to London tomorrow. Thank you for hearing me out and I’m sorry for everything that I put you through. I wish you and Chanyeol all the best. I sincerely hope you’ll find your way back to each other again.”

He might still be reeling from everything that Luhan had told him, but he at least felt his genuine sincerity from his words. As he saw the blonde man out of the door, Baekhyun had only one favor to ask. 

“If you see him,” he said, praying for luck and fate to help him again this time around, “if you see Chanyeol, tell him to meet me at our university’s art exhibit.”

The fond nod Baekhyun received relieved him of his worries, even just for a bit.

***

“Sejoo-ya, what’s your favorite color?”

“Pewy.” Sejoo beams at his smaller father as he plays with his chestnut brown curls over Chanyeol’s shoulder. 

Baekhyun chuckles, of course it’s Perry the Platypus’ color, the little boy’s most favorite stuffed toy next to their three stacked bears. “Perry’s color is teal, baby.”

“Teel?”

“Yes, teal is a mix of green and blue.” He catches his son’s tiny hands on his head before the boy starts pulling on his hair strands. Sejoo has been a grabber lately, grasping anything within his reach with his tiny fists without reason. His perch on Chanyeol’s arms gave the boy the extra height and access to mess with his poor hair. 

Baekhyun kisses Sejoo's palm before nibbling on his tiny fingers, making the boy giggle adorably. His other arm is looped around his husband’s waist as he hugs Chanyeol from behind. The three of them are still out on the balcony despite the coldness of the night air, telling more stories about the two best friends named Loey and Hyun to the curious little boy.

“Do you know what Dada's favorite color is?” Chanyeol asks as he bounces his son on his arms, turning his head a little to the side to peek at his husband smiling fondly at the question.

“Yewow!” the baby boy exclaims confidently, “Dada and—Dada and Rara, favowite colol.” 

Sejoo earns a pat on his head and a kiss on his cheek by his answer and Chanyeol proudly adds, “That’s right, baby. Yellow is pretty and bright just like Dada and Rara, isn’t it? But do you know why Dada likes the color?”

"Nwo," Sejoo shakes his head and turns to his smaller father, “Why Dada favowite yewow?”

"Remember when Dada told you about how I met my best friend, Loey?" 

Sejoo nods his head meekly. "Dada sad because—because of cwayon so, so Loyi gib Loyi cwayon to Dada. And gween mango too," at that, the little boy scrunches his nose in disgust, "Loyi eat gween mango for Dada."

***  
 **11 years ago**

" _Last 10 minutes before this year's Young Love: The Exhibition officially closes_ ," came the announcement booming from the PA system on the far end of the gallery hall. 

The crowd that had gathered before Baekhyun's painting praised and thanked him quietly before dispersing and going on their own ways after the public service announcement. 

Even on the last day of this week-long art exhibition, the hall was still swarming with wandering people, art critiques, faculties, fellow student artists, and non-art majors alike. The gallery was buzzing with lively conversations and interactions from artists and the general public, as everyone took in and enjoyed the exhibition curated by Baekhyun's graduating year. 

But no matter how busy the venue got, there was still one person who he prayed and hoped would come. Baekhyun flicked his wrist to check the time, _6:14 pm_. Six more minutes of nerve-wracking waiting and hoping Loey could make it. Baekhyun had patiently waited for the last five days for him to come, _hell, the last seven years even_. 

As his exhibit was near the reception area and the starting point, he had his eyes trained at the door the whole time, distracted and out of wits, praying for the taller to magically appear. He needed for Loey to see, he needed him to come. 

Baekhyun had so much to say, to ask, to explain, but more than anything else, he just really wanted to know if his best friend was doing fine. Nevermind not talking and acknowledging the years they were apart and the things that happened in between, Baekhyun just wanted to know how he was taking all these in.

He was restlessly tapping his foot against the marble flooring of the hall when Kim Jongdae, his coursemate and exhibit neighbor, noticed his unusual behavior. 

"Baekhyun-ah, are you okay?" Jongdae asked as he inched closer to him, temporarily leaving his spot and the spectators around his painting. 

Baekhyun immediately stopped his fidgeting and gave his friend a wry smile. "I'm okay. Just waiting for someone."

"Well, you still have," Jongdae glanced at his own watch, scoffing, "three minutes left. Will this person still be able to come? Too bad we have to donate these paintings to our university's museum. I wanted to take mine home." 

Jongdae shook his head and came closer to look at Baekhyun's painting hung on the wall behind him. He read the caption printed in white beside it, " _Green Mangoes by Byun Baekhyun_. Am I reading this correctly?" Jongdae looked at him, confused. "I don't see any green mangoes in your painting." 

"Because there's really none," Baekhyun replied absentmindedly, looking back and forth between Jongdae and the door.

The crowd was slowly dwindling down as everyone was starting to head out to the door to go home. Even his coursemates and fellow student artists were already packing and leaving their respective posts. 

The PA system rang again across the hall, signaling the end of the gathering, and with that, the exhibit had officially ended and Chanyeol had failed to come. 

“Okay, that’s our cue. Let’s go home, Baek,” Jongdae said as he tapped him on the shoulder, bringing his attention back to him. 

Baekhyun tried to ignore the disappointment and utter frustration boiling within him but the last month of waiting for Chanyeol to come around after knowing the truth about his identity was too much to bear. He pulled Jongdae towards him without another word and buried his face on the crook of his shoulder, startling the clueless man. 

"Ya, Baekhyun-ah, what's wrong, why are you suddenly crying?" 

Baekhyun only tightened his arms around his friend's waist as he continued to sob, heaving heavy breaths and wetting his friend's neck and shirt. Thankfully, Jongdae didn't ask any further and just let him cry his heart out while occasionally patting and soothing his back comfortingly. 

Baekhyun's broken sobs echoed across the empty room as they were the only ones left inside the exhibition hall. As he continued to wail on Jongdae's shoulder, he heard the distinct click of heels against the marbled tile, of footsteps approaching, and then Jongdae's pitiful plea. 

"I don't know why you're crying but you can tell me more about it outside. I'm here for you, okay? The guard is asking us to leave already as they have to close the venue, Baekhyun-ah. Let's go home, okay?"

Baekhyun only gave a timid nod as he slowly pulled back out of Jongdae's embrace and immediately turned around to compose himself and dry his tears.

"I'm just going to get our bags from the locker. I'll be back, wait for me here." 

He felt Jongdae tapping his shoulder once before he heard him walk away, footsteps getting farther and farther away. 

As he waited for his friend to come back, Baekhyun heaved the last of his cries as he stared dejectedly at the painting before him. 

_Green Mangoes._

It was his old, unfinished painting of a fruit basket that Chanyeol once saw in his apartment; the very same one that he had started seven years ago when Loey went missing. Only now, the painting was finally completed, and the mangoes in the middle of the basket were filled and colored in the most vibrant and brightest of yellow. 

A work in progress for seven whole years, his journey in finding his long lost best friend was finally over. 

Baekhyun meant to show this to Chanyeol, to tell him that he had patiently waited for him to come back like he always did in the past. And now that he was finally here, his life was complete again. 

Except Chanyeol wasn’t really here and his sudden disappearance only meant one thing. Chanyeol knew the truth, knew that he was the real Hyun, but he wasn’t ready to meet him. Baekhyun didn’t know if he would ever be ready. He was willing to wait as long as it took for him to come around, but his silence was too much for his weary heart. He was only asking for a word, anything that could put his mind and heart to ease that he still had someone to wait for. 

Baekhyun was tired of waiting blindly. Chanyeol had decided and he had to respect his decision. He could feel the burn in his nose as a new wave of hot tears were threatening to fall from his puffy eyes. 

He heard the echoes of footsteps fast approaching towards his direction yet again and a light tap to his shoulder. Baekhyun called out a quick, “Just give me a minute, Jongdae,” as he tried to stop the tears and dried his eyes with the sleeves of his shirt. He couldn’t go out like this looking like a complete mess.

“Why _Green Mangoes,_ Hyunnie?”

But the tears he was trying so hard to contain only fell relentlessly at the sound of the deep voice he knew like the back of his hand, a voice he had missed for seven longing years and he could finally hear again. He was crying so hard now, whole body trembling at the force of his cries he was afraid at any moment his legs would eventually give out. 

Baekhyun couldn’t believe his ears, he was so scared to turn around and confirm for himself like this could only be a figment of imagination his desperate and heartbroken self conjured after so many years of endless waiting. He couldn’t turn around as the shock rooted him on the ground. If this was all just a dream, Baekhyun didn’t want to wake up anymore. 

He needed to hear that voice again. Amidst his broken sobs, Baekhyun let out a tiny whimper barely audible but the quiet of the exhibit hall made way for even the softest of sounds to be heard and amplified as he called out, “Chanyeol?”

But there wasn’t any answer for what seemed to be the longest minute of Baekhyun’s life and he turned around in a hurry only to collide with a sturdy chest and a hand protectively wrapping around his lower back to break his impending fall. 

Baekhyun couldn’t help but wrap his arms around Chanyeol’s waistline as he continued to sob on the latter’s chest. The taller cradled his head with one of his large palms as the other rubbed smooth circles on his back, whispering, “I’m here now, Byun Baek. I’m so sorry it took so long. I had to settle a lot of things before I could finally come back to you, for _good_ this time.”

But Baekhyun couldn’t hear any word past the _‘I’m here now,’_ for it was the only thing that mattered right now, Chanyeol was back, _Loey was finally here now._

“My mind needed time to accept what my heart already knew. I had to do what I did, but I’m still sorry for disappearing without a word and leaving you behind.” Chanyeol pressed his lips on his forehead tenderly before he continued, “I flew back to London to clear things with my parents as I figured they’re the ones behind all this mess. I was so mad, so angry for being kept in the dark just like you were for the last seven years. I couldn’t go back to you fully like this, so I needed the time.”

Baekhyun’s answer was only to tighten his hug and squeeze Chanyeol like his life depended on it. His sobs were slowly dying down and he was utterly sorry for ruining his best friend’s black dress shirt with his tears and snot. 

“I hope you could find it in your good heart to forgive what Luhan did. He might not be what I thought was him all this time but he had become an important part of my life, too.”

And just like that, Baekhyun was reminded of how Chanyeol and Luhan were practically lovers before he knew of the truth behind Luhan’s and his parents' lies. Chanyeol loved Luhan. The smaller made to pull back from Chanyeol’s embrace but the latter was immediate in keeping him in his arms and refusing to let go. Chanyeol laid his forehead on his shoulder as he drew in a deep breath.

“I got the chance to talk to him before I went here. We cleared everything between us and he apologized to me, told me he talked to you, too.” Chanyeol tightened his hold around his torso as he pushed his face on the crook of his neck and shoulder. “We were over before I even came here to Korea. He was no longer happy with our relationship and I never knew why, he couldn’t tell me the truth, until that day.”

“B-but I heard you guys talking on the phone, saying...”

Baekhyun’s voice was foreign and hoarse after all that crying, and he felt so ashamed at how jealous he sounded right now. He didn’t mean to sound petty but it still came out like that. 

Chanyeol pulled back from his neck and stared at him confusedly, albeit a small smirk was trying to break his facade. It was the first time he saw his face after a month and he still looked so handsome and breathtaking like he always did. 

“Saying what?” Chanyeol asked, but Baekhyun knew he already knew what he was going to say judging by the teasing glint in his eyes.

“I’m not gonna say it, you bully.” Baekhyun only pulled him back to his embrace and elicited an elated laugh from the latter. “What’s important is you’re here now.”

“I am. I’m never going away again. I’m back home.”

Baekhyun ran his fingers against Chanyeol’s back as the latter nuzzled his face on his hair. “I missed you so much, Loey.”

“I missed you too, Hyun.” Chanyeol grabbed his hands from his back and brought them in between their bodies so he could hold at them as he looked at Baekhyun in the eyes. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything, Loey.”

“Can you,” he started hesitantly, trapping his lower lip between his teeth, “can you go with me at noona’s burial grounds?”

Baekhyun felt his lungs shrinking at the thought of Chanyeol learning about his dead sister he couldn’t remember. But he was what his best friend needed at a difficult time like this so Baekhyun abandoned all thoughts and focused on what Chanyeol needed. He smiled at the latter and squeezed the hand that was holding his own. 

“Of course. I’ll go with you anytime.”

“There’s one more I’d like to ask.”

“What?”

Chanyeol briefly glanced at his back before his eyes found him again, grinning widely, “Why _Green Mangoes_ when there are no green mangoes on the basket of fruits?”

Oh.

Baekhyun cleared his throat and smiled, “Exactly. When people saw my painting, their first question was, _‘where are the green mangoes?_ ’”

“So where are the green mangoes?”

Baekhyun beamed at him and brought one of Chanyeol’s palm to his cheek, leaning at the touch.

“Loey ate them all for me so I would no longer cry.” 

Chanyeol only mirrored the wide grin on Baekhyun’s face as he shook his head slowly from side to side.

“You’re silly, Hyunnie.”


	4. Good Morning

"And then, Loey stooped down and closed the distance between him and Dada’s—"

"Yeol," Baekhyun cuts his husband off softly, whispering, " _Sejoo_."

Chanyeol peers down at their son whose head is lolling dangerously away from his shoulder. Relief washes over his face because _finally_ , the little boy is asleep. He catches Sejoo’s head and lays it back on his shoulder gently, keeping him still.

“I’ll take him to the nursery,” Chanyeol informs his husband as they all walk back into their room from the balcony. 

Baekhyun closes the double doors and pulls the curtains over, leaving a thin space in the middle so in the morning, the warmth of the early sun greets them first. Chanyeol and Sejoo leave the room as the smaller father tidies the mess they have created for the whole night, picking up the bed sheets, blankets, and pillows they used to build a fort and a teepee tent.

From the room across, Chanyeol carefully transfers his son inside the crib, supporting his head and making sure not to jostle the baby girl sleeping so soundly from the other side. He smiles as he watches their serene faces for a minute, an inexplicable amount of joy and fondness soothing his exhausted body. They’re quite a handful at times but Chanyeol never minded for he’s always rewarded with this kind of relief at the end of each day. He fixes their tiger onesies one last time before he heads out and closes the door behind him as quietly as he can. 

He finds Baekhyun in the hallway, his back turned against him, slumped forward, and leaning the side of his body against the closed door of their own room. He pads towards him quietly and snakes his long arms around his husband's waist. Peering down over his shoulders, he sees Baekhyun watching their children sleep from the baby monitor in his hand. 

Chanyeol pulls his husband closer so the latter is leaning against his chest as they both watch Sejoo tossing and turning around the crib until the little boy finds the position he is comfortable with, which is on his tummy while Sera sleeps uninterruptedly from the other side, sucking at her thumb.

“I love our children so much,” Baekhyun says fondly, clutching the front of his robed chest.

“I know.” Chanyeol kisses the top of his head before flicking his wrist resting on Baekhyun’s stomach to check the time. “We still have 10 minutes left before our anniversary ends. Anything you want to do?”

Baekhyun pockets the baby monitor inside his robe and turns around, sagging against his chest. “I’m sorry we have to cancel.”

Chanyeol pats the back of his head comfortingly. “That’s all right, there’s always another time. We can reschedule anytime you want.”

“But it’s not our anniversary anymore.”

Even though he couldn’t see his husband’s face, he can picture the adorable pout he is sure the smaller is sporting right now. Chanyeol smiles.

“Close your eyes.”

“What? Why?” Baekhyun pulls from the hug and looks up at him, confused.

“Just close your eyes. You’ll see.”

Baekhyun does as he is told without another word, fluttering his eyelids shut, then blindly feeling around for his husband. Chanyeol catches his wandering hands and lays them flat against his chest, keeping them in place by putting his hands above it. He brings his lips closer to Baekhyun’s ear, softly whispering, “Now imagine we’re at Amaranth’s right now.” 

Baekhyun laughs at that, lightly nudging his husband on the chest. “What?”

Chanyeol ignores him and carries on, “Imagine the gorgeous view of the night skyline is behind us, the light of a million stars twinkling and hanging above us. We’re out in the open, on the rooftop, seated before a round table for two.”

“This is silly.” But Baekhyun keeps his eyes closed, smiling.

“The wind blows, you shiver. I stand up and walk towards you. I take my suit jacket off and drape it around your back. You smile. You drag me by my tie and kiss me senseless upside-down, it leaves me chasing after your lips when you pull out, wanting more.”

“Hmm, keep talking,” Baekhyun hums, slowly getting into the groove. He relaxes against Chanyeol’s hold, laying his head on top of their twined hands. 

Baekhyun thinks this is really silly but it’s their anniversary. They’re allowed to be silly, after one hell of a night, even just for ten minutes. So Baekhyun abandons all thoughts. They are just two silly lovers for tonight, playing pretend in their hallway while their sleeping children are right next door. 

“The waiter comes in, pours us a bottle of merlot. We raise our glasses in a toast. The waiter takes our order. What do you get?”

Baekhyun chuckles and plays along, “I order a grilled cheese sandwich and curly fries on the side.”

“That’s not very fancy, but good choice,” Chanyeol grins, bringing their twinned hands down so Baekhyun could press his cheek directly on his chest, eyes still closed. He could feel Chanyeol’s steady, lulling heartbeat. 

“The waiter leaves the room, a violinist then enters.”

Chanyeol starts humming the first notes of a song. Baekhyun’s breath hitches. He recognizes it as their wedding song.

Well technically, not a wedding song since there really was no wedding ceremony that happened. But it was the song that played when they were waiting by the lobby of the courthouse to get their marriage performed and certified by a judge. 

The taller takes his hands and gently lays them on top of his shoulders while he settles one hand on Baekhyun’s hip, the other cupping the back of his head and tucking it under his chin. 

Chanyeol starts to sway, slowly, from side to side. Baekhyun stops thinking altogether and lets Chanyeol guide him as they sway in place, in circles, unhurried. The taller continues to hum and Baekhyun feels the vibrations reverberating from his chest. He leans more into it, enamored.

When the tune Chanyeol is humming finally comes to the lyrical part, Baekhyun sings, “ _The other night dear, as I lay sleeping. I dreamed I held you, in my arms. When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken. So I hung my head, and I cried._ ”

Chanyeol continues the next verse, “ _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know dear, how much I love you—_ ” 

Baekhyun sings with his husband on the next line, “ _Please don’t take my sunshine away._ ”

It almost feels too real, like Baekhyun could hear their wedding song playing in the background. 

“I don’t know how you managed to make this feel so real, like there is a real guitar playing faintly in the background but it does feel—w-wait…”

Chanyeol continues to hum as Baekhyun slowly opens his eyes and pulls away from his chest, blinking. “Yeol, can you hear that?”

“What?” Chanyeol stops humming and grins widely, his pearly white teeth on full display.

“There’s music playing somewhere, our wedding song is playing.” Baekhyun spins around, looking for the source. He vaguely hears it coming from downstairs. He grabs his husband by the hand and pulls him towards the stairs. 

Baekhyun gasps when he sees pink rose petals scattered across the steps, leading a trail down to the floor and goes beyond. “Chanyeol, what is this…”

Chanyeol just shrugs and smiles handsomely at his dumbstruck husband. “After you.”

Baekhyun leads the way downstairs, pulling Chanyeol behind him. Every step he takes, every petal that touches his naked feet, gets him more nervous. But it’s the good kind of nervous, his heart starts picking up. Baekhyun doesn’t know what awaits him downstairs. 

When they finally reach the last of the steps, Baekhyun’s jaw drops from the sight before him, letting go of Chanyeol’s hand.

“H-how...Chanyeol…”

Because all over the house are hundreds of lighted candles, scattered all over the floor, on top of tables and furniture, lining every corner and wall, bathing the whole room in soft, warm yellow glow. 

The music is indeed, their wedding song, the exact same song that was played in the courthouse seven years ago, coming from the stereo.

The rose petal trail extends towards the living room, where all the furniture is pushed to the side to clear the center. The trail ends in a big, heart-shaped mass of pink rose petals in the middle of the living room, and beside is a makeshift love nest of blankets and sofa cushions on the floor, scattered with more rose petals.

“Do you like it?” Chanyeol asks from the bottom of the stairs, anxiously waiting for Baekhyun’s response.

Baekhyun whirls around to look at him, half-laughing half-crying, mouth agape, seemingly at loss for words. 

Chanyeol can’t stop staring. How could he, when the most beautiful human being to grace this world is right here before his very own eyes, in his bare feet, his messy brown curls, in his disheveled robe with the tie loosely hanging on the sides and barely holding the robe together, one pull and he’ll unravel. The red robe looks more vibrant and fiery against the dancing flames of the candles, illuminating every stitch and cotton. Baekhyun looks more regal, breathtakingly so. 

“How...When did you have the time to do all this?”

“I got help. Look to your back,” Chanyeol instructs, nudging his chin towards the direction of the kitchen area.

“Baekhyun hyung,” Baekhyun whips his head and finds Ten smiling from behind the counter, waving a stick lighter in one hand and clutching bare rose stems on the other, “I’m just really here to make sure your house doesn't burn down. I’m taking my leave now.”

“Wait, you just got here. Where are you going?”

“Seriously hyung? This is your alone time now. I’ll be staying at a friend’s house for tonight. I’ll come back tomorrow to see the twins.”

“Oh, okay?”

“Thank you, Ten,” Chanyeol says as he pads towards Baekhyun until he’s flushed against the latter’s back, hugging him from behind.

“Happy anniversary, you two. If mom was still alive, I’m sure she’d be so happy.” Ten bids his farewell then and exits through the back door. 

When Ten is completely gone, Chanyeol reaches to grab Baekhyun’s hand and twirls him gracefully towards him. Baekhyun lands in Chanyeol’s chest, giggling. “I didn’t know. You didn’t tell me!” he says, slapping Chanyeol’s pecs lightly.

“That’s the point. It’s why it’s a surprise. You’re not supposed to know.” Chanyeol grins, intertwining his fingers on the small of Baekhyun’s back. “Of course I would not let this day go by without letting you know how much I love you, how much I’m thankful to have you in my life. This is all very last-minute and I just used all the resources we have here at home, but I hope you still like it.”

Baekhyun is teary-eyed as Chanyeol noses Baekhyun’s nose. “Don’t cry, Hyunnie. You know I don’t like seeing you cry.”

“But these are happy tears. I’m so so happy. I really thought we won’t be able to celebrate at all. Those kids are really tough. My body is exhausted but I’m so happy,” Baekhyun says, sniffing as he loops his arms around Chanyeol’s neck.

They sway to the music from the stereo, shadows dancing on the wall. 

“But you know, I’m glad we spent the whole day with our children during our anniversary. It brought us back to how we started. Look at us now,” Chanyeol says as he pulls Baekhyun closer.

“You’re right. But you know what this reminds me of?” Baekhyun asks.

“What?”

“Our first date.” The smaller grins, running his hand on his husband’s hair.

“Oh, that failed date.”

“It’s not! I love that. It’s the most memorable one for me. You know how we’re still both shy and awkward after we reunited in the exhibit 10 years ago?” Chanyeol only hums. “And then for our first date as a real couple, I said I don’t want anything lavish. I just want us to have a simple dinner and spend time together alone. You cooked for me, then. Do you remember?”

Chanyeol closes his eyes for a moment, utterly relaxed as he enjoys the scalp massage Baekhyun is now giving him, starting from his nape and going upward. 

“I do, I cooked hamburger steak that night and even bought wine. But just as we’re about to take a bite, the electricity went off and we’re bathed in total darkness.”

Baekhyun laughs fondly, burying his face on Chanyeol’s chest. The vibrations his husband makes against his body are tickling him, triggering Chanyeol’s own laugh. But it was mostly because of that unfortunate night.

Baekhyun pulls back and stares up at him. “So we hunted for candles all over your apartment while in the dark. We lit everything and scattered them all over the unit. It was so romantic. Kind of like now.”

It is true. Their surroundings are kind of reminiscent of their first-ever date as boyfriends, unintentionally.

Chanyeol sways them in circles as he says, “And then, we dated for a year before I asked for your hand in marriage.”

Oh how Baekhyun remembers. Everything was so sudden. 

After Chanyeol came to a truce and a deal with his parents to let him take over the company while he was studying Interior Design and proposed to have the main headquarters moved to Seoul, his parents readily agreed, on the condition that he will work for two years in London where the current head office is as they prepare and set up everything for the transition. 

It was a long stretch of time, Baekhyun and Chanyeol were both aware of it. They had only been together for a year and they already had to live apart from each other again. But they also knew it was a little hardship and sacrifice compared to a lifetime of freedom they would be able to bask in once the company moved back to Seoul. 

So Chanyeol decided to go, but hours before his flight back to London, Baekhyun was inconsolable and wouldn’t stop crying. It broke Chanyeol’s heart whenever Baekhyun cried, and it was then that the sudden, crazy idea popped in his head. 

“We were on the way to the airport and you suddenly asked the driver to turn back around and go to the courthouse, you impulsive giant man,” Baekhyun cooed, squishing Chanyeol’s cheeks together between his palms. Baekhyun kisses the fish lips that he created before letting go of his cheeks. 

“Yes, it was very sudden, but I’m very sure of it. I’ve been wanting to marry you since noona’s wedding.”

“What?” 

“It’s true.” Chanyeol kisses the surprise in his husband’s eyes, pressing his lips on each lid. “I’ve liked you for so long. You’re just really dense. Remember when you told me you had an admirer back in high school? I skipped school and drove three hours back to our hometown just to stop it from happening. I am that smitten.”

Chanyeol grins cheekily at the astonished expression on his husband’s face. He is dense but he is cute too. Super cute. 

As the flames of the lighted candles continue to burn, the glow and tranquility encompassing them shift something in the air. The two parents in the middle of the living room drink up the love from each other’s eyes as they continue to stare at each other, enamored and utterly smitten. A forehead bends down and meets a pretty forehead, together they smile as they slowly close their eyes. Baekhyun brings a hand up and caresses the taller’s face, breaking their comfortable silence. 

“Thank you for coming back to me, Loey. And I promise you, forever and always, you have me. You always have us to come back to, Sera and Sejoo, too.”

“Isn't it a shame how we didn’t get to say our personal vows beside the standard, nondescript ones they made us swear in the courthouse? And we weren’t able to properly exchange rings too as I was literally in a hurry and had a plane to catch up to.”

Chanyeol then pulls back and gingerly holds Baekhyun's hand, smiling. “I have one more surprise for you.” He drags his husband towards their coat rack near the main door and carefully drapes a long overcoat over his red robe, the warm fabric ends just before Baekhyun’s bare ankle. He crouches down and slips on Baekhyun’s fleece slippers on his husband’s feet. 

“Where are we going, Yeol?” the smaller curiously asks as he looks down on him.

“You’ll see.”

Chanyeol pulls his husband behind as they go over the back door and out to their chic patio at the forefront of his husband’s garden. It was chilly outside so the overcoat has been a good decision, especially for his husband who hates being cold. They might be here for a while.

Baekhyun gasps in wonderment as he takes in the magical sight the installed fairy lights created all over their patio area. It hangs from above the wooden roof like a hanging garden of lighted vines and leaves, so pretty and so so captivating. Baekhyun raises an arm to touch the tip where the lights end as they pass them by.

Chanyeol stops by their wooden swing chair he personally made himself as a gift for his husband and the twins. Even the long wooden chair has fairy lights hanging from its roof. He faces Baekhyun once again and fixes his long overcoat so it covers his body more. The smaller blinks up at him, waiting. 

“Before we entered the courthouse that day, I asked you, if you wanted to do this with me. We’ve only been together for a year, so I’m not sure if you’ll find suddenly marrying me daunting and too soon, _much too soon_. So I asked you. Do you remember what you said?”

Baekhyun thinks hard but nothing is coming up. He was so shocked that day but he immediately agreed. It might be the rush of adrenaline pumping in their veins, or that lovesick high they were in, suddenly overwhelmed with brimming courage as they felt everything was surmountable at that moment. But honestly, he just felt the same. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with his best friend by his side. There was only one way to go for him, and a future with Chanyeol was all he ever wanted. 

Baekhyun shakes his head. “It was 7 years ago, Yeol. I don’t really remember.”

“I asked you if you were fine with a civil wedding because I can really hold it off. I married you on a whim, I could understand back then if you’ll say no. I just really wanted to marry you at that time before I go. But I will never forget what you said. It was what got me through those two grueling years without you by my side. You said: _‘I want a marriage, not a wedding. I will marry you, anytime, any day, anywhere, because I love you and only you.’”_

It was simple, yet it echoed everything that he wanted to say to Baekhyun at that time. They were on the same page, they were sharing the same thoughts. That’s when he knew he made the right call.

Chanyeol takes a deep breath. “Well, Byun Baek, you got the marriage. Do you want to have the wedding now?”

He takes out a small, black velvet box from his dress pants’ pocket and goes on one knee.

He can see his husband’s eyes going full circle, a hand immediately flying to cover a wide-open mouth. 

“I realized, I never gave you the wedding that you deserved. I planned this for months and wanted to do this on the playground back in our hometown but the kids happened so,” Chanyeol shrugs, grinning, “so I just replicated everything here. We got a swing, so it's close enough.”

He flicks the box open and holds it out, a shiny diamond ring glitters against the darkness of the night as the light from the moon catches on its surface. Still, nothing ever compares to the shine behind his husband’s eyes that only he can see. 

“Byun Baekhyun, my _Hyunnie_ , my sunshine, will you marry me again? Properly this time.”

Chanyeol grins as he sees Baekhyun lunging towards him, wrapping his arms tightly at his neck, and buries his head on his shoulder as he keeps on crying. He cradles the smaller’s head on his palm as he softly asks, “What do you say? Let’s have our twins be the cutest ring bearers ever.”

Baekhyun sniffs as he pulls back, tear tracks lining his beautiful flush cheeks. Chanyeol hears a whispered, _‘Yes’_ before Baekhyun fully claims his lips, the taller immediately brings them to a standing position as they share a passionate kiss. 

Chanyeol tilts Baekhyun’s head to the side to mold their mouths perfectly, lips dancing against each other in a slow rhythm, unhurried, tasting each other. A liplock commemorating their seven years together and all the little memories they made in between, the two beautiful lives they created, and a silent promise to keep loving each other forever and always. 

Chanyeol can’t believe they’re already well into a decade together, but really, they’re just starting. 

Baekhyun shivers and he feels the pull of something silky crawling over his body until it settles just below his shoulder blades. He is immediately engulfed with a tight warmth as a body behind him shifts closer, his naked back meeting an equally naked chest, and a hand slithers over his waist.

“Good morning, sunshine.”

Baekhyun smiles. He opens his droopy eyes to a blurred sight of something glimmering in his finger and being played with by another hand that isn’t his. Baekhyun rubs his eyes to see clearly, and that’s when it only registers. Flashing snippets of everything that happened last night comes rushing to him. Baekhyun blushes red.

He groggily turns to his back and feels cold, hard ground against his spine. Baekhyun groans. He swivels his head to the side and sees his husband smiling down on him, a lovesick look painted all over his face. Baekhyun is using Chanyeol’s arm as a pillow and the same arm is connected to the hand that is fiddling over his new engagement ring, playing with his slender fingers.

Baekhyun marvels and prides himself on the love bites, hickeys, and scratches blooming red and scattered all over his husband's naked torso as he is sure mirrors the same red patterns on his naked body, too. When Baekhyun shifts to his side facing the taller, that’s when the pain of the aftermath finally hits his body, making him wince. The pain settles more on his lower back and on his puffy hole, his whole body feels sore.

They spent the night and early morning hours on rounds after rounds of rough, passionate sex all over their downstairs floor until exhaustion finally took over and left them lying on the love nest of blankets and cushions on the living room. The big heart-shaped mass of rose petals turned to a scattered mess of crumpled rose petals as he briefly remembers Chanyeol laying him down over the silk velvety petals and making love to him on the very same spot, all loving night long.

Chanyeol swipes his bangs on one hand while the arm he is using as a pillow snakes down to his back and settles on one ass cheek, squeezing and massaging. “Sorry,” his husband mumbles before kissing his button nose.

“It’s okay. I’m okay. It’s nothing I can’t handle. We didn’t have enough practice for the past few weeks, that’s why.” Baekhyun winks and giggles.

“Then we should be practicing every chance we get,” Chanyeol teases and bites Baekhyun’s lip lightly, squeezing his ass cheek harder. After a while, his husband’s tone shifts to a more serious note, “I’m sorry I’ve been busy for the past few weeks.”

“I love you,” is Baekhyun’s only response as he kisses Chanyeol full on the flips. His husband’s bed hair and morning puffy eyes make him an irresistible sight; he can’t help but kiss the living daylights out of him. Baekhyun smiles against Chanyeol’s lips, whispering, “Happy anniversary, my love. Thank you for the wonderful surprise.”

Baekhyun yelps when Chanyeol abruptly pulls him on top of him, the silk red sheet sliding down his body smoothly and lands on the floor. He shivers when his naked skin meets cold air, but mostly because of the hard-on poking on his still sore rim. 

“You feel that? That’s what your sinful lips do to my body.” Chanyeol emphasizes his point by grinding his dick in between Baekhyun’s ass cheeks. 

Baekhyun tenses and gasps, smirking as he carefully lowers himself down his husband’s toned muscles. “Wanna know what else these sinful lips can do?” Baekhyun bites his lower lips, wiggling his brows.

They’ve been at it until the wake of dawn but who can ever blame the post-anniversary high and glow that still lingers in the air and wraps the two husbands in their post-coital state. 

“Show me,” Chanyeol breathily grunts as he feels his husband tugging at his hard dick, slowly positioning his mouth over the sensitive head, a hot breath making it twitch and finally—

“Loyiiiii~”

A high pitch, adorable whine erupts from the top of Chanyeol’s head and Baekhyun screams, quickly scrambling off his body as if caught in the act. The smaller immediately wraps his body with the red silk blanket fallen on the floor.

“Loyiii~”

Another whine calls Chanyeol’s name in a slightly different pitch. _The twins are awake._ Baekhyun crawls forward until he can reach and grab for the baby monitor on top of Chanyeol’s head. Indeed, they are wide awake, playing with their spit bubbles and asking for their Daddy to come. 

“Oh my god, they cockblocked my anniversary surprise yesterday, and today, my sex life. These kids,” Chanyeol groans from his side, his dick still standing painfully erect. Baekhyun can only laugh as he starts to look for his robe around the living room.

He helps Chanyeol get up and the two of them look together for their missing clothes over the scattered mess of extinguished candles and pink rose petals. 

“Yeol, have you seen my robe?” 

“I don’t remember where I took it off of you last night. Try looking in the kitchen,” Chanyeol says as he hears another call of his name from the monitor. “Wait, wait.”

Baekhyun runs to the kitchen but he only sees Chanyeol’s black dress shirt hanging from the refrigerator door. _Oh god how did that get up there,_ he thinks, and that is when a brief flash of Chanyeol propping him on the kitchen counter and sucking him off as he undresses the taller pops in his head.

Baekhyun immediately puts on the wrinkly black shirt and buttons the middle part only before he goes back to the living room. Thankfully, the shirt is long enough to hide his sore ass, ending just above his thick milky thighs. 

“Loyiiii!”

A slightly irritated whimper comes out of the monitor and Baekhyun laughs. He sees Chanyeol still naked and looking for his dress pants on the back of the couch, tanned, toned ass on full naked display. 

“Loyiii!”

“Alright, alright, I’m coming!” Chanyeol shouts loud enough to be heard upstairs as he walks towards the direction of the stairs and trudges up, still naked. 

“Put something on before you see them!” Baekhyun hurriedly calls out as he watches Chanyeol’s back muscles and calves contracting in every step, until he completely disappears.

Baekhyun goes back for his hunt of their missing clothes all around the floor. He finally sees his red bathrobe outside the door leading to the patio, he remembers now how immediately after he said yes, Chanyeol couldn’t keep his hands off of him. 

Then his husband’s pants he sees in the laundry room hanging by the shelf of detergents and fabric conditioners. A brief image of him bent over the washing machine as Chanyeol pounded him from the back flickers in his mind and Baekhyun blushes. 

When he comes out of the laundry room, he sees the twins are already on their highchairs in the kitchen, watching their Daddy, who is now thankfully dressed in sweatpants and a black shirt, taking out ingredients from the pantry as the twins play around with rose petals on their hands. 

He greets the twins with a cheerful, “Good morning, my little munchkins,” as he kisses them each on the cheeks. Sera is crumpling and tearing the rose petals apart as he catches Sejoo in the middle of putting a petal on his mouth.

“Nuh-uh, Sejoo, that’s dirty. You’re not supposed to eat it.” He’s quick to stop his tiny fist from eating the petal, earning a disgruntled whine from the little boy. Baekhyun steals all the rose petals from his children’s hands, reminding him that he should start cleaning his and Chanyeol’s sexual mess. 

“Do you guys want to watch cartoons?” he asks the twins, to which he receives a vigorous shake of the heads and a collective reply, “Nwo.”

“Watch Loyi,” Sejoo adds, pointing to the back of his busy father fussing over the kitchen counter.

Baekhyun crouches down to his eye level and patiently says, “Baby, that’s Daddy. Call him Daddy, okay?”

“Nwo. Loyi.”

Baekhyun hangs his head between his shoulders as Sera only giggles at his despair. 

“Alright suit yourself.” He gives up altogether, stands up, and leaves the twins’ side.

He snakes his arms around Chanyeol’s waist and leans his head on his shoulder, sighing, “We barely started the day but I’m already tired.”

Chanyeol booms with jolly laughter as he stops whisking the eggs in the bowl, turns around, and hugs his clinging, sleepy husband. “What do you say we go and get those powdered doughnuts that the twins want?”

Wouldn’t it be the perfect way to end their post-anniversary celebration where they all started?

And the twins seem to agree as they scream, “Wonut!” behind them, slapping their tiny palms against the highchair table.

So Baekhyun tiptoes his okay, pressing a soft, chaste kiss on his husband’s lips and grins.

It’s their best anniversary celebration by far. 

**Author's Note:**

>  **[Author's Note]**  
>  If you're still reading this, you own my heart T^T I honestly don't think anyone would ever want to read this longggg fic I wrote T^T that got (slightly) angsty along the way. I'm scared no one would read this T^T I apologize for the last parts of the third chapter if it felt rushed and crappy, because honestly, it was. It was the last part that I wrote and I was under extreme (self-inflicted) pressure to finish and have this ready before posting begins *bows 90 deg* 
> 
> And since this is my first time, I'm really nervous. I experimented a lot in this fic as I don't really know my writing style >< I just write. But I do hope the transition between present and past (and the little introspections that get in the way) I showed clear enough. I hope you didn't get lost in the way! I'm so sorry if you did. I'll do better next time. 
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read this and if you did enjoy it, tell me what you think :)) would love to know your thoughts :> and please be kind <3


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